One theme concerns how innocence is sustained by ignorance or lost by knowledge. Crucially, Walker begins the story with the words: "It seemed ." These words are revealed as the key to reading the first half of the story itself. The summer days seem beautiful to Myop, as she skips through life with the carefree innocence of a ten-year-old. Nonetheless, the story proves that life only seems safe and beautiful because Myop is sheltered and innocent. In short, the story charts Myop's sudden and total loss of innocence.
Throughout the first half of the story, Walker...
Source: Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction, ©2001 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 788 words.)
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