Explain the importance of the parts of the novel and their correlation with the four seasons of the year.

Each section of the novel offers a glimpse at one
aspect/time of Pecola's life. Essentially framed around one year of her
existence, the novel describes the events season by season, often ironically juxtaposing
Pecola's reality with the traditional symbolism of the season.

The novel begins in autumn, which may seem
unusual for some who would expect it to begin with spring. However, autumn
is a time of harvest, of ripening, and therefore of coming into maturity. Although this
is not true for Pecola in this section, she witnesses Claudia's and Frieda's growth, and
learns from that. Also, fall can become a time of new growth for those
who attend school, since the new year traditionally begins in the autumn
months.

"Winter" is perhaps the most aptly named of all the
sections. Winter traditionally symbolizes cold, barrenness, sterility, and
even death. In this section, we are drawn deeper into the infertile ground that is
Pecola's life. The scene with Geraldine and her son Junior shows just how
far Pecola is outcast from her society. She is surrounded on all sides by hostility and
hatred, as further evidenced by the Maureen Peal episode. Even when Pecola attempts to
be friendly, she is cast aside, leaving her alone and
empty.

Spring traditionally represents
growth, new life, change, beginnings, etc. However, in the novel it is the most
ironically named of all the sections. Instead of change and positive
transformations, Pecola only experiences more and more abuse and terror. Her mother
beats her, her father rapes her, and no one offers a hand or a kind word. Frieda also
experiences abuse at the hand of Mr. Henry. Spring is also traditionally a time of
moving forward, looking fondly on the future. Yet in this section, we look back on
Cholly and Pauline's lives, seeing the horror and pain from the past which is
transferred now onto Pecola.

Finally, summer is a time of
relaxation, freedom, vacation, etc. We typically associate it with children out of
school, but it connects back to the idea of harvest in the autumn. The
summer would be the last time to relax before the rush of reaping in the fall. But
instead we are left with a broken, clearly insane Pecola, wandering the town on her own.
There is no redemption for any character, and Claudia leaves us with the
image of Pecola as the scapegoat for the town, the one on whom everyone else washed
themselves clean.