Epilogue Summary

In mid-December, Mattie awakens early in the pre-dawn and begins the daily routine of getting the coffeehouse ready for customers. She works hard for about an hour before she hears footsteps overhead. She sits alone in the dark and quiet, and watches through the window as a lamplighter extinguishes the street lamps outside. Mattie contemplates her recent life and, now an adult and responsible woman, she realizes her life is good. The sun begins to rise as a new day, indeed, a new period of life, begins.

Epilogue Analysis

Mattie mentally compares the rising sun to Blanchard's yellow balloon. Just as the balloon had symbolized a new era in the development of the city and nation, the rising sun marks the beginning of a new day, which will be met with newfound enthusiasm. Mattie has fully matured into a woman capable of operating...