What is the weather like in Chapter 23 of Tuck Everlasting?
The weather in chapter 23 is a continuation of the weather from chapter 22. It is hot. Unbearably hot. Readers are told that it is the kind of heat that seems to press down on you from all sides and take your breath away. Additionally, there isn't even the slightest...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
hint of a breeze to give even a modicum of cooling.
It was the longest day: mindlessly hot, unspeakably hot, too hot to move or even think. The countryside, the village of Treegap, the wood—all lay defeated. Nothing stirred.
The text doesn't say the word "humid," but I imagine it is quite humid too.
That's why Winnie's grandmother and mother sit there, fanning themselves, with
"unsettled" hair. The proximity of the forest also tells readers that the heat
isn't likely a dry, desert-type heat.
Then the weather and heat get worse. The air starts to feel "heavier":
The air was noticeably heavier. It pressed on Winnie's chest and made her breathing difficult.
Winnie correctly interprets that a storm is approaching, but at that moment all that has happened is an increase in relative humidity or pressure. The temperature hasn't started falling, and the breeze hasn't picked up. Everybody decides to go to bed early and try to sleep through the misery of the weather, and it is at this point that the air starts to stir with a breeze and cool down ever so slightly.
What is the weather and what events occur in Chapter 23 of Tuck Everlasting?
When chapter 23 begins, the reader is told that the weather is hot. Really hot.
It was the longest day: mindlessly hot, unspeakably hot, too hot to move or even think.
In addition to being hot, I think the humidity must be really high. The text doesn't explicitly say so, but there are some hints. The reader is told that the air feels heavy with little to no breeze. I've lived in Florida for a little bit of my life, and that state has some ridiculous heat and humidity. When Babbit describes the weather as oppressively hot and heavy, I'm reminded of my time in Florida.
By the time the chapter ends though, the weather has turned. When Winnie wakes up moments before midnight, the reader is told that a thunderstorm is moments away from beginning.
As for what actions happened in Chapter 23, there isn't much to write about. Winnie has been confined to the house and the yard, which is fine because it's too hot to do anything else. The rest of the family tries not to move around too much. Everybody goes to bed early, which suits Winnie just fine, because she is waiting until midnight in order to sneak out and help rescue Mae.