Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
As time goes on, the Alden kids settle into a routine: "The days went by happily for the boxcar children," the narrator tells us. "They found more treasures in the dump, and Henry worked every day for Dr. Moore" (11.1). Everything seems to be going so well that we readers begin to wonder if they could just live in the woods forever.
But, of course, they can't. Jessie and Henry are shocked into action when Violet becomes really ill. One moment, Jessie and Violet are laughing at Benny's antics; the next moment, everything starts to spiral out of control: "Violet laughed until she did cry. Then she could not stop crying. At last Jessie made up her mind that Violet was really sick" (11.24-11.25). Uh-oh. When Violet can't stop shivering, the kids are forced to seek help from Dr. Moore.
Violet's illness gets the children out of the boxcar and under a real roof once more, and it ultimately reunites the children with their grandfather. Her sickness reveals that beneath the romantic idea of living in the woods, children can't survive on their own in the wild—however resourceful and independent the Alden kids may be, they still require adult care. In a sense, in the woods, Jessie and Henry were just playing house; it's a fantasy that can't be sustained. Children need guardians, doctors, teachers and other adults in their lives in order to thrive.
So, don't get any ideas kids, OK?