# When Pollyanna Was Expected explained — Pollyanna Grows Up

> Chapter companion for Pollyanna Grows Up by Eleanor H. Porter.

## What happens

Beldingsville buzzes with excitement as Pollyanna Whittier, now twenty, prepares to return home after six years abroad with her Aunt Polly and the late Dr. Chilton. The town knows of Dr. Chilton's death and the family's financial ruin. Nancy prepares the old Harrington homestead, and Jimmy Pendleton eagerly awaits Pollyanna's arrival. John Pendleton and Jimmy discuss Pollyanna's growth, her appearance, and her enduring spirit, while expressing concern over the challenges she and her aunt face.

## Themes in this chapter

### Loss, Grief, and Healing

Aunt Polly's morbid grief and the town's sympathy highlight the struggle to cope with death and financial loss.

### Social Class and Inequality

The Harrington family's fall from wealth to poverty is a central concern, affecting pride and social standing.

### Optimism and The Glad Game

Pollyanna's enduring spirit and the 'game' are discussed as vital tools for facing adversity, even as she matures.

## Character check-ins

### Pollyanna Whittier

Now twenty, returning home after six years abroad; has grown into a young woman with a joyful spirit, though facing grief and financial hardship.

### Aunt Polly

Widowed and financially ruined, she is deeply grieving and morbidly resentful, refusing to return to Beldingsville initially.

### Jimmy Pendleton

Eagerly awaits Pollyanna's return; he is a tall, good-looking young man with frank eyes and a winning smile, deeply concerned about Pollyanna's well-being.

### John Pendleton

Provides insight into Pollyanna's character and the family's financial troubles; speaks fondly of Pollyanna's growth and the 'game.'

### Nancy

Now Mrs. Timothy Durgin, she prepares the Harrington homestead with care and expresses deep sympathy for Pollyanna and Aunt Polly's plight.

### Dr. Chilton

Deceased; his death and small estate contribute to the family's financial struggles.

## Key lines

> She resented keenly, too, the fact that they must now know that she was poor as well as widowed. In short, she had worked herself into an utterly morbid, wretched state, as unreasonable as it was terrible.

Aunt Polly bitterly hated that others would learn of her poverty on top of her widowhood, spiraling into a deeply irrational and miserable condition.

_Highlights Aunt Polly's pride and grief, central to the chapter's emotional tension._

> I'm going to begin in the morning and go to every train till they come, laughed the young man, a bit grimly.

Jimmy Pendleton declared he would meet every train starting tomorrow until Pollyanna and her aunt arrived, laughing with a hint of grim determination.

_Shows Jimmy's devotion and the community's eagerness to welcome Pollyanna home._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pollyanna_grows_up_se/chapters/xvi-when-pollyanna-was-expected
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pollyanna_grows_up_se/chapters