45 pages • 1 hour read
Betty G. BirneyThe Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1980A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Imagination in Childhood
Content Warning: The section of the guide includes discussion of child abuse and mental illness.
Through the protagonist’s quest, Betty G. Birney emphasizes the importance of imagination for children. The story presents childhood as a time of wonder, faith, and creativity, but it also suggests that these qualities drive personal growth, making them essential to children’s development into adults.
Eben is a curious and imaginative child even before he undertakes his search for seven wonders. Despite (or because of) his life’s limitations, Eben’s mind is a “million miles away” as he dreams of exploring the world by traveling to faraway places (3). Eben longs for something extraordinary, a “spell” that would transform his monotonous life, suggesting his need to find inspiration and excitement. His father’s challenge provides an immediate outlet for these impulses, taking the form of play that highlights the significance of imaginative thinking in children’s development. Eben must think creatively to locate “wonders” in Sassafras Springs, engaging in a transformational learning process that connects him with his surroundings. Eben’s receptiveness to this challenge further underscores his curiosity. As a child, Eben is willing to ask questions and explore his world despite his initial boredom in his town. He realizes that finding wonders “[will] require some asking” and knows he must explore every part of town to discover new things (19). Eben’s interest in the world guides his quest for the extraordinary, reinforcing his imagination and sense of wonder in his immediate world.
The seven stories that Eben discovers take the form of childhood fairytales to emphasize imaginative thinking. Each story features simple objects that acquire “magical” properties that suggest their special meaning to the narrator, and many relate to the narrator’s childhood. For example, the applehead doll was a gift to Mrs. Pritchard that spoke to her in her sleep, ultimately saving her from a childhood illness. The story thus suggests that Mrs. Pritchard would quite literally never have become the woman she is in the absence of childhood imagination: “Yes, young man, to this day I know I wouldn’t have ever awakened in the glory of this world again if she hadn’t called for that water” (33).
The stories also facilitate Eben’s development, as identifying which stories are wonders requires Eben to further hone his own creative thinking. Calvin tells Eben he should “decide [what a marvel is] for [himself]” (86), indicating the necessity of using his mind in creative ways. That he is ultimately able to find the “wonder” in his everyday surroundings illustrates the importance of creative thinking in childhood, and the novel implies that he will carry this ability with him into adulthood, showing how he has changed as a result of his quest.
Fostering Community Through Storytelling
The novel emphasizes the significance of communal relationships in personal growth and consciousness formation. Creating community, however, requires storytelling, as this promotes collective understanding.
The novel’s opening pages depict Sassafras Springs as a place where preoccupation with day-to-day living supersedes connection to others: “Folks in Sassafras Springs were usually friendly enough, but they expected their neighbors to mind their own business, which did not include asking about Wonders” (20). Eben’s observation suggests that the people in town lead individual lives. Most are absorbed in their daily struggles and jobs that allow little space for imagination and “wonder.” Even children are affected by the hard realities of life in a rural town. Jeb exemplifies this, as he appears more “mature” than Eben and feels obligated to help his family rather than join Eben’s quest for wonders.
Eben’s quest revitalizes the community. As Aunt Pretty tells Eben, “Say, you certainly got folks worked up about Wonders! I haven’t seen so much excitement around here for years” (181). Beyond identifying a change in the town’s mood, her words suggest that its residents are now united by a shared sense of curiosity and awe regarding the stories Eben is uncovering (as well as his undertaking itself).
Moreover, Eben’s encounters with individual community members establish new bonds. Cully Pone, for example, lives in a shack and is a marginalized man, considered “crazy” by the community. Cully rejoices in his visit and wonders why people do not visit him anymore, emphasizing his longing for connection. By listening to Cully’s story, Eben engages in a process of mutuality that changes his understanding of the man and provides Cully with much-needed companionship. Eben also reinforces his bonds with the children in town. Coogie is inspired by Eben’s quest, inventing a story of his own. While he does so to jest, he eventually decides to help Eben find more stories to achieve his goal, thus becoming part of something bigger than himself. Eben’s relationship with Rae Ellen also evolves. He initially dismisses her because she steals pies, but when she offers him a “wonder” through a story about a real ship in a bottle, Eben promises to give her a pie in thanks. Once again, storytelling has established reciprocity between two people and expanded Eben’s understanding of those around him.
Eben’s departure for St. Louis at the end of the story illustrates the newfound bond among the townsfolk. As Eben and his father head to the train station, the whole community turns out to bid him farewell, underscoring that Eben’s story discoveries have reinforced communal bonds in his hometown.
Finding a Sense of Place
The story suggests that before setting out to explore the world, Eben must develop an understanding of his immediate environment. The idea of forming an understanding of home is therefore central to Eben’s character journey.
At the beginning of the narrative, Eben is weary of life in his hometown. He believes that Sassafras Springs is “invisible” and that there is “nothing to see” in the place (3). Eben’s mind is “a million miles away” (3). This indicates his imaginative thinking but also suggests his disconnection from his environment. Eben’s father and aunt prompt him to reconnect with his surroundings. Pa encourages his son to “see the marvels” in his hometown (9), suggesting that seeing the place with new eyes might help cultivate a sense of place and belonging. Nevertheless, as Eben starts his quest, he is convinced of his familiarity with the town: He thinks he knows “every clump of dirt” and doubts that the place could be inspiring (13).
Pa’s insistence that Eben find seven marvels in Sassafras Springs before visiting Colorado suggests that before he can appreciate the wider world, Eben must develop a feeling of home. Eben’s plan to explore the town “up one country lane and down the next” similarly emphasizes that he must refamiliarize himself with his town. The extraordinary stories Eben encounters in doing so do just this, helping him reimagine his idea of home. On his way to church, Eben “almost expect[s] to see” the magical scenes of the stories (117); he thinks of the walking table as he passes by the graveyard, he hears the “cloud of bugs” as Calvin plays “Amazing Grace” (117), and he thinks of the applehead doll during Sunday school. The stories impact Eben’s consciousness, connecting to his home by imbuing it with the stories of those who live there.
Eben redefines his goal at the end of the story. While his trip to Colorado is postponed, he continues his quest for wonders, anchored in his newfound appreciation of Sassafras Springs. Uncle Alf’s carving vividly illustrates this bond with his hometown as his journey ends. In the wooden miniature, Eben sees his older self leaving town and feels both “glad” and “lonely.” As he embarks on a journey of exploration outside his hometown, Eben has achieved a sense of place and belonging.
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By Betty G. Birney
