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Final Essay on Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting

2022 Literacy G8

Although Natalie Babbitt remained neutral in her short novel – Tuck Everlasting, she presented a

deep question on immortality. In the book, the characters' discussions about this topic stirred up

great uncertainty about whether to never die or to live normally. The purpose of the paper is to

explain why living and dying is better than never dying. It is correct to believe that living and

then moving on is not just good for the world, but it is the best and only true way for a human to

exist. The mechanics will be looked at through two symbols: the wheel and the music box.

The symbols foreshadow the bad things that will happen to society if people want the water’s

magic. The symbols in Tuck Everlasting add a profound layer of doom to the novel. They are

mostly shown in the storylines of the Tucks – the only family that knew and experienced the

spring of immortality. For instance, the Ferris wheel is pictured as a cycle of events turning to

and from a reference point. The setting time in the novel, August, places on the highest point of

the wheel. Then, the month will follow the wheel as it makes another turn. This description is

used by Angus Tuck, who is overburdened by the idea of staying immortal. Tuck explained to

Winnie that everything around them is life, and it keeps on moving and changing, never the

same. He uses the Ferris wheel to depict how life works, and how even nature goes through

changes. He called his family “we just be, like rocks beside the road.” (Babbitt 64). This feeling

highlights “If we didn’t move it out ourself, …, but stuck. That’s what us Tucks are” (Babbitt

63). The reasoning connects with the Ferris wheel, as being left behind by the wheel means not

being able to act the same way as others in the world. It also symbolizes how there is no “highest

point” in a life that never ends, so the Tucks’ wheel is impossible to turn. If there is zero
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motivation to cherish the time provided, how would this life be any more important to people?

Moreover, August symbolizes a change in weather and the physical appearance of the world, but

the spring water freezes these features. Everything is normal when life turns, but everything that

one fights for will be lost (in this case, their growth) when life cannot move on. Suffice it to say,

the Ferris wheel emphasizes the normal way of life according to a wheel, which portrays the way

people should live their lives. Beyond this, the meanings of the music box play a similar role in

this novel.

On a second approach, the music box that belongs to the Tucks beholds a small but resonating

symbol. Precisely, it beholds the symbol of a sense of supernatural existence. When Winnie’s

grandma first heard it tinkling, she thought it was elves. The man in the yellow suit soon recalled

stories when he heard the music being played. Elves, unlike humans, are imaginary beings which

a human can never see; similarly, the concept of not dying is also out of reach for humans.

Comparatively, the Tucks are unlike the humans since they are immortal, so they are the “elves”

in this analogy. Therefore, the box is the only connection between society and the Tucks. They

use it to hang on to the wheel with sheer force. The music box demonstrates how frantic the

Tucks want to be normal and interact with the world. Such a simple desire becomes out of reach

when one catches immortality, but eventually gets annoyed by it. Mortality is essential for Earth,

as it prevents troubles that last forever. This argument proves how moral humans could treat their

“precious” lives if they decide to adhere to the wheel. Mortality involves the world in the best

way possible because it prevents Earth from overpopulation. Furthermore, people who live

forever will likely cause eternal conflicts, which can make them suffer from eternal hate or

depression. Considering this reality, why torture oneself with all these consequences? Making
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more ethical decisions driven by the thought of death avoids all the harmful effects. This is

expressed by “she poured the precious water, very slowly and carefully, over the toad” (Babbitt,

132). Winnie tries to claim that immortality is not for humans, also illustrating how the concept

of death is not about social destruction. Instead, it could be a blessing to perfect one’s well-being,

ethically and psychologically. These claims support the thesis statement, for it argues about all

the positive effects of mortality, and how it contributes to a person’s identity in society.

In Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt promotes symbols that warn Earth about immortality’s

exciting but inhumane concept. Though death may sound scary, living and dying are a must for

the world to work. Mortality helps humans enjoy the precious moments of their lives, leaving

more space for good thoughts about themselves and their community.
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Work cited:

(Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975. Print.)