This One Summer

This One Summer opens with 12-year-old Rose spending her summer at Awago Beach, something her family does every year. The beach has been a symbol of solitude and innocence for most of Rose’s life, but in the wake of growing up and her mother’s miscarriage last summer (which Rose is unaware of), the lake starts to symbolize the loss of innocence that occurs with adulthood. Rose attempts to plunge headfirst into being a teenager, but in many ways, she is not as mature as she thinks. Rose’s summertime friend, Windy, is someone she has known for most of her childhood. The girls are comfortable with each other, but now that Rose is approaching adolescence and Windy is only 10, they find that the interests and pastimes they once shared no longer hold the same luster.

Rose and Windy have a shared curiosity regarding their emerging sexuality and the sexual lives of the teenagers they regularly encounter on the island. Because they have known each other for years, they are comfortable asking each other questions, admitting their lack of knowledge in certain areas, and joking about sexuality. Where Rose and Windy differ is their thoughts on relationships. Rose is 12 years old and quickly develops an innocent crush on an 18-year-old store clerk named Duncan. This leads to Rose becoming increasingly curious about Duncan and his girlfriend, Jenny. Windy only wants to make fun of the couple and finds it strange that Rose has any interest in an older guy. She also teases Rose about her crush, telling her that she only wants to watch horror movies to impress Duncan.

During one visit to Brewster’s, the juxtaposition between innocence and the emerging experiences of adolescence becomes evident. Rose and Windy watch as Duncan and his girlfriend Jenny openly flirt. Afterward, they go outside and eat candy. Windy seems bothered by the experience, and Rose judges Jenny harshly without knowing her. Rose’s reaction illustrates how The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood are passed onto girls at an impressionable age, and that they can carry these ideas of what a woman should or shouldn’t be forever. The pages that follow include two of Rose’s memories from her early childhood, including collecting rocks as a child (which come to symbolize her family’s crumbling solidarity) and collecting milkweed flowers: “I thought that if we ate them, the fluff would make us grow wings” (32). In the latter case, Rose’s mother Alice warned her that milkweeds are, in fact, poisonous. Throughout the story, childlike moments are set against exposures to the adult world, showcasing The Emergence of Adolescence and Accompanying Loss of Innocence.

Windy and Rose also discuss topics like breast size and oral sex. Windy finds these topics either disgusting or laughable, but Rose tries to act mature, saying things like, “I guess I would do it if I was really in love with someone” (64) in regards to oral sex. Rose also corrects Windy when Windy says “boobs”, telling her to instead say “breasts”. She predicts she will have breasts like her mother’s, indicating how she resembles Alice. It is revealed that Windy is adopted and has no point of reference for her physical traits, but she seems comfortable with the idea of a mystery. The girls’ discussion of breasts and oral sex are a sign that they are in some ways questioning The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood, while in other ways are subconsciously living up to these standards. Their renting of horror movies is another attempt to act older than they are, as they foolishly view these movies as an indicator of their maturity. In another, more subtle way, Rose shows her immaturity when she fails to empathize with her mother, Alice. Alice is depressed and distant, does not want to swim or be touched, and seems unhappy to be at Awago Beach at all. Rose takes this personally, and this later leads to her exploding in anger at her mother. Alice’s miscarriage and her slowly healing from it is an example of The Permeative Effects of Mental Illness and The Socially Prescribed Obligations of Womanhood, as she is expected to simply bounce back from this trauma. Even Alice’s husband, Evan, expects her to force herself to feel better and participate in an activity (swimming) that triggers her: “Vacation, Alice” (16). Rose often looks back on earlier memories at the beach, which depict Alice with a brighter, more approachable disposition. In these memories, Alice is attentive, loving, and smiling; now, she seems lifeless.