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Poetry · Chapter

The Foolish Harebell explained

A harebell expresses weariness and a desire for death, rejecting the help of the Wind, Sun, Cloud, and Dew.

What happens

A harebell expresses weariness and a desire for death, rejecting the help of the Wind, Sun, Cloud, and Dew. After a boy plucks and discards her, she regrets her earlier complaints and seeks aid, but it is too late. She dies, and the narrator hopes she will be simpler and sweeter when she returns next year.

Themes in this chapter

  • Childhood and Innocence

    The harebell's petulant complaints and eventual regret mirror a child's learning process about gratitude and humility.

  • Suffering and Purification

    The harebell's suffering and death serve as a purification, with the hope that she will return 'simple and sweet.'

Characters to notice

  • Harebell

    The foolish harebell who complains of weariness and rejects help, only to regret it too late.

  • The Wind

    Pitiful and gentle, tries to cool the harebell but is rebuffed.

  • Cloud

    Offers shade but is rudely dismissed by the harebell.

Key passages

  • “A harebell hung her wilful head: “I am tired, so tired! I wish I was dead.””

    A harebell drooped stubbornly, saying she was exhausted and wished to die.

    Opening expression of the harebell's despair and desire for death.

  • “Let us hope, let us hope when she comes next year She’ll be simple and sweet! But I fear, I fear!”

    We can only hope that when she returns next year she will be humble and kind, though I am doubtful.

    Closing moral reflection on the harebell's fate and the hope for her improvement.

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