Dandelion Wine- the Ravine

Dandelion Wine- the Ravine

In Ray Bradbury’s novel Dandelion Wine, the ravine does not elicit much attention from its inhabitants. At first glance, the ravine appears to be normal due to all the life it sustains such as the vegetation, animals, and insects. No matter how many times the people of Green Town may spray or cut back the plants, the ravine always seems to find a way to take over civilization. But what the people of Green Town do not usually recognize is that the ravine is a dark, dismal and isolated place that hides a murderer, known as the Lonely One within its shadows. Douglas, Tom, and Grandfather all seem to view the ravine in different ways. To Douglas the ravine represents the cycle of life, to Tom death, and to Grandfather the beauty of youth.
To Douglas the ravine symbolizes the cycle of life. It is a place where all forms of life are continuously being born or dying. The plants and trees will eventually die but Douglas sees that another newly born form of vegetation will take the place of the dying. Douglas also notices that the dead plants and trees enrich the soil for new life. The animals within the ravine go about their daily business, giving a sense of movement and a feeling of life to the ravine. Just like the vegetation, Douglas sees that the animals will eventually die too, but their offspring will take their place. In other words, Douglas sees that with death comes even more life, because once something living finally dies another living thing will grow and live in its place. Douglas is deeply moved by this revelation because he realizes that with the bad (death) comes the good (new life.) “Here [the ravine] was only growing earth and a million deaths and rebirths every hour” (16). Because Douglas can see the constant “growing” and “rebirths every hour” he realizes that this cycle will never stop. Douglas views death as a good part of life, because it leads to rebirth. However, Douglas’s brother Tom views death in the ravine a bit differently.
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