Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Is there anything sadder than a melted snowball? Well, yes. Probably. But Peter's melted snowball is pretty darned sad.
At the end of his day, just before he comes inside, Peter packs several handfuls of snow together into a snowball (28). Then he takes the snowball and puts it in his pocket…for tomorrow. Now we know, and you know, dear Shmoopers, what's going to happen to that snowball. But Peter doesn't. And many young readers may not give it a second thought, either. And that is why this snowball is an excellent symbol of two things: both the wonderment of youth, and its fleeting nature.
Peter, our young protagonist, has spent the entire day marveling at the miracle that is snow. Everything is so fresh and new for him that we get the feeling this might be his first experience with it—or at least his first solo experience, which means his first chance to really examine the snow and figure it out on his own terms. So when he stashes that snowball in his pocket for future use before heading inside, we, knowing a bit more about the melting point of snow, can both appreciate his innocence in this area and anticipate his disappointment.
For many readers, this moment likely brings back a memory or two of their own experiences as a young child, particularly of a time when, because of their youth, they believed something would or could happen in a particular way only to be disappointed by reality. And when Peter later learns this lesson about snow himself (32), readers are reminded not just of the wonderment of youth, but of how quickly that wonderment can be crushed. Or in this case, melted.