Chapter 62: Our Revels Now Are Ended – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
A woman wakes to what sounds like screaming but recognizes it as the whining of her fox, Tempest. For the first time in months, no frost covers the windowpanes. Spring has arrived in Hallowell. She wraps a blanket around herself and walks barefoot to the front door. There she sees Tempest and her mate coaxing four kits out of their den beneath an ancient live oak tree. One kit is a large red male; the others are slender, silver females. The river, once frozen solid, now flows dark and churning. In the distance the water-wheel turns freely, making a metallic music. The woman watches with a mixture of awe and old grief—a tender scar that cannot overpower the joy she feels at the sight of new life.
Key Events
- The woman wakes to a sound that she first mistakes for screaming but identifies as the whimpering of her fox.
- She notices the frost has vanished from the window; spring has come to Hallowell.
- She goes barefoot to the front door, wrapped in a blanket.
- Tempest and her mate emerge from the den; the mate gently urges four kits into the grass.
- The kits—one red male, three silver females—begin to explore the tree’s roots and the three moss-covered stones.
- The woman watches, experiencing both a profound joy and an old, tender grief.
- The river is now open, flowing fast, and the water-wheel turns, signaling winter’s end.
Character Development
- The woman (Martha Ballard): In this final chapter, Martha is no longer a midwife handling crises but a quiet observer of nature. Her grief over past losses—perhaps her daughter or other deaths—remains as a “tender scar,” yet she embraces the renewal before her. This acceptance marks her emotional arc: from struggling through a harsh winter to peacefully witnessing spring’s rebirth.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
- Spring as renewal: The thawing river, the absence of frost, and the fox kits all symbolize a fresh start after a long, difficult winter.
- The river: Once ice-bound and “cold as death,” it now flows freely—a metaphor for the release of frozen emotions and the resumption of life.
- The fox family: Tempest and her kits mirror the human community’s resilience. The rare silver kits suggest the uniqueness of new, delicate beginnings.
- Grief and joy coexisting: Martha’s “old and tender” grief does not cancel her happiness; the chapter suggests that loss and hope can abide together.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Our Revels Now Are Ended” serves as an epilogue that closes the novel on a note of quiet resolution. After the trial, the exonerations, and the personal losses Martha endured, this chapter provides a cathartic release. The seasonal shift from winter to spring mirrors the characters’ shift from suspicion and hardship to peace and growth. The water-wheel’s return to motion implies that Hallowell’s life—both literal and economic—resumes. The chapter leaves readers with a sense of cyclical continuity and the promise that even deep grief can be held within a joyful heart.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the thawing of the Kennebec River symbolize in this chapter?
The river’s thaw represents the end of a period of isolation, secrecy, and emotional coldness. Just as the ice breaks up, so do the barriers that kept the town frozen in mistrust. The flowing water signals renewal, movement, and the possibility of new life.
2. How does the fox family mirror the human characters in the novel?
Tempest and her mate nurturing four kits parallel Martha’s own role as a caretaker and mother figure. The foxes’ emergence from the den after a long winter echoes the human community emerging from a season of trial and judgment. The silver kits, rare and unusual, suggest that fragile new beginnings deserve protection.
3. Why does the author include the detail of the water-wheel’s sound?
The water-wheel’s turning marks the return of industry and daily life after the river’s freeze. It adds a hopeful, musical note to the scene, reinforcing that the natural world and the human world are once again in harmony.