39 pages • 1 hour read
Betsy ByarsThe Summer of the Swans
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1970A 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
Familial Roles & Responsibilities
In the Godfrey household, responsibility comprises both elective gestures of sacrifice and expected responsibilities. Aunt Willie promised to raise the Godfrey siblings prior to their mother’s death. Aunt Willie’s brother Sam, the children’s father, took up work as a teenager in order to support a young Willie after their father died; Aunt Willie continues to depend on her brother for financial support. Sara assumes her father distanced himself out of grief over his wife’s death and Charlie’s illness—that he betrayed and rejected the family. In Aunt Willie’s opinion, Sam made a necessary sacrifice, his role essential to maintaining the home from afar. While Sara thinks otherwise, hints at the Godfreys’ surroundings indicate that Sam probably moved as far as he did to find work lucrative enough to support them.
Due to them being close in age, Sara bears much of the responsibility for Charlie. Charlie requires constant supervision, but being a growing girl, Sara naturally has interests of her own. The expectation that Sara continue to care for Charlie in the future is likely to be a subject of debate once she reaches Wanda’s age. At 19, Wanda spends most of her time furthering her career and education, her current relationship being one that may very well result in marriage. The sisters have their own independent interests and goals, and Charlie will inevitably require more of Aunt Willie’s attention in Sara’s absence—such being the complex nature of family.
Adolescent Individuality & Isolation
Sara’s is a journey of empathy, of reevaluating her own perspective and that of others. Over the summer, she becomes self-absorbed and self-conscious—but in the face of Charlie’s disappearance, she shows compassion and maturity. The onset of Sara’s adolescence is the lens through which she experiences the events of the novel. Sara’s interactions with her peers feed into her understanding of social hierarchy, the Godfreys’ financial situation doing little to elevate her confidence and status. Sara’s mother is deceased and her father out of state; not to mention she lives with a widowed aunt. Her own lack of self-esteem aside, Sara struggles to relate to peers as she carries a certain level of responsibility (i.e., Charlie); she makes enemies out of those who slight her brother. Sara both desires popularity and doesn’t care about what others think should they prove questionable. Sara is rarely—if ever—asked to engage with others or invited to parties (which fuels her self-loathing), but Joe Melby and his friends are quick to help her in her search. Sara’s time with Joe suggests that if she were to judge herself and her peers a little less, she’d make more friends. She clearly possesses the ability to empathize when she puts her mind to it, this skill being crucial for potential relationships.
When Sara apologizes for misunderstanding Joe’s part in the watch incident, he tells her that he’s used to it. Instead of being combative and defensive, Joe is kind, patient, and ready to forget Sara’s vengeful behavior. This show of forgiveness is what compels Sara to reevaluate not only Joe, but others she potentially mischaracterized in the past. She realizes that as much as she feels misunderstood, she’s equally guilty of prejudice.
Sara’s isolation is exacerbated by her own concerns and worries, leaving her distracted and deprived of information with which to truly know others. Aunt Willie’s defense of the children’s father and Sara’s revelation that he long supported his family speaks to the girl’s limits. As the novel progresses, Sara learns to look beyond the surface so as to appreciate the complexities of others’ experiences.
Intellectual Disability: Perceptions, Presumptions
Charlie’s intellectual disability is framed within the socio-historical parameters of the late 1960s. Betsy Byars commits to depicting Charlie’s reality for the reader, tracing his overall process and reasoning as they contribute to the choices he makes. At the time of the novel’s publication, public opinion of those with intellectual disabilities was informed by limited information and understanding. Byars’s choice to include Charlie-centered chapters allows readers unfamiliar with the topic an opportunity to learn. Unlike many children of this period—most of whom were confined to behavioral health hospitals on the advice of physicians—Charlie’s disability is such that he’s able to be cared for at home and receives accommodations at the local school. Wanda’s attempt at networking with a classmate’s father for Charlie’s sake indicates a more progressive attitude on the community’s part. Many interact with him via limited exchanges over his watch. Charlie’s still spoken about when present, pitied, or seen as other, but it’s clear that the community cares about him given the efforts put into his search and his celebratory welcome back.
Given Charlie’s mental state at age 10, it’s likely that he’ll never be able to live independently. While readers are privy to his feelings and personal experiences, the particulars of his status are only understood by his caregivers—and not included in the text. Charlie never once wandered as far as he does when searching for the swans—and as happy as his and Sara’s reunion is—there’s a shadow of doubt as to whether or not he’ll remember what happened. He already forgot why he went to see the swans in the first place and might wander again, instead facing more serious consequences. While Sara expresses frustration with Charlie himself, she’s truly contending with the fact that her caring for him seems never-ending. Sara’s arc calls into question to what degree Aunt Willie expects her to continue caring for Charlie and to what degree he’ll require assistance in the future. These unknowns provide a stark contrast between Charlie, who can only hope for consistency and stability, and his sisters—both of whom are in the midst of transition, of embracing change.
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