Why Dandelion Wine? Kellea Carlisle College

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is the story of Douglas Spaulding during the summer of 1928. Douglas realizes he is alive in the beginning of the book, and this experience shapes how he views the rest of the summer. As the audience continues to read the story, they may wonder why Bradbury titles this book Dandelion Wine. Through Bradbury’s description of dandelion wine, the reader understands the question of why.

The first few chapters of Dandelion Wine have no mention of the title. Douglas wakes the town up for the first morning of the summer, and while on a fruit picking trip with his father and brother Tom, Douglas realizes he is alive. The chapter after Douglas’s revelation talks about dandelion wine and how the Spauldings make it in their cellar. Bradbury describes dandelion wine as “summer caught and stoppered” (13). Bradbury uses this idea to convey that dandelion wine can only be made during summer. The wine itself captures the memories of the day it was made. This first harvest of dandelions marks the beginning of summer. This batch of wine contains Douglas’s memory of self-awareness. Dandelion wine captures the memories of the summer, so the drinker has those memories for cold winter days (13). This idea of capturing...