The Yellow Fever epidemic took nearly 5,000 of the 45,000 citizens of Philadelphia in 1793. The novel follows Matilda and her survival in disease-ridden Philadelphia, for everyone around her seems to have caught the illness. An example of this is in chapter 9, as mother is thought to be alright, but is later seen awaking violently while throwing up black vomit. Black vomit is a common sign of the fever, though it isn’t the prettiest. Matilda also becomes infected while helping out, but this isn’t until chapter …show more content…
This happens while Matilda, or “Mattie” as she now goes by, and Eliza try to watch over them. Though more and more people are getting down with the sickness, Polly was the first character to officially die within the novel, as seen quite early on at the end of chapter 2. Cemeteries have been very busy lately, and it’s only a matter of time until another main character bites the dust. Unfourtunately, no one does. They return to the coffeehouse, mother comes home, and the book actually ends on a high note, but it completely disregards the previous deaths. Not only did various characters die, so many background characters lost their lives without being