While Year of Wonders questions the value of suffering as a religious practice ironically Anna via her suffering gains enormously.
Geraldine Brook’s novel “Years of wonder” shows the people of Eyam struck with the plague, which brings out the best and the worse of the people in the town. We are shown in perspective of Anna Frith, the main protagonist and widow at the age of 20 and mother of 2. Even after facing adversity Anna grows enormously and changes into a better person.
Anna Friths life has been a rollercoaster ride with high ups and very low downs. But it was through these lows that made her change. Anna had a bad childhood with an abusive father which “made of him a sour and menacing creature.” Anna and her mother would constantly be subjected to beatings and violent outburst from her father and this still psychological affects her. It was not until she met her husband Sam which her life would take a turn. Although Sam and Anna’s relationship was a simple one they just made with what they could, “Here we are, alive, and you and I will have to make it what we can.” Sam was a miner that could financially support Anna and their soon to be family as well as stepping up and becoming a strong figure able to step up and protect Anna from her father which puts Anna’s mind at ease. Anna loved her family and it gave her meaning to live.
But this life did not take long to change as things took a turn for the worse one time after another for Anna. Things first started when a mining accident took the life of Anna’s husband Sam. Sam was working underground in the mines when part of the mines collapsed and crushed Sam. Sam’s death impacted her with grief, loneliness and the loss of a second pay check to care for her children. Next was George Viccars, George Viccars was a tailor that came into the village and lived in Anna’s house. George gave Anna Company in the time of sadness and loneliness after Sam’s death “when he entered the cottage, he brought...