Prodigal Summer Literary Elements

Domestic fiction

Set in Southern Appalachia

Narrated in third person by an omniscient speaker.

Profound and Sentimental

The protagonists of the three narratives are Deanna Wolfe, Lusa, and Garnett while the antagonist is the chaos that disrupts their solitary and well-balanced lives.

Though the characters face different dilemmas in their lives they all share a connection with the natural environment as their worlds also collide. The characters are introverts and unsocial but circumstances disturb the status quo as they reconsider their stance regarding human connection and nature.

Each narrative has its own climax, in the first narrative, it occurs when Eddie leaves and meanwhile Deanna is pregnant. In the subsequent story, it happens when Lusa adopts Crys and Lowell and in the last, it occurs when Garnett agrees with Nannie regarding pesticides.

The introduction of Nannie as a nuisance to Garnett foreshadows the clash that escalates between the two later on.

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The novel alludes to ecocriticism by blending in ecological principles that address issues and phenomena in the ecosystem.

“All morning the animal trail had led her uphill, ascending the mountain, skirting a rhododendron slick, and now climbing into an old-growth forest whose steepness had spared it from ever being logged. But even here, where a good oak-hickory canopy sheltered the ridge top, last night's rain had pounded through hard enough to obscure the tracks.”

Deanna and Eddie have opposing opinions regarding coyotes and nature in general yet they are deeply attracted to each other.

All three protagonists share the same appreciation of nature while valuing solitude over human interactions. Moreover, the author draws a parallel between Deanna Wolf and the female coyote in the last narrative as they both undergo a transition.

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“But for now their buds still slept.”