Chapter 21

Info

• page: 174-182
• place: Miss Emma's home, Grant's home, Rainbow Club
• time: unknown
• people: Grant, Miss Emma, Vivian

Content

• When Grant next visits Miss Emma, she is in a very sick condition. Since the situation is unpleasant for Grant, he would like to leave immediately, but out of decency he stays with the sick woman for a while
• The visit to Miss Emma doesn't last a quarter of an hour and when he returns to his aunt's house, Vivian is already waiting for him there. Grant's girlfriend tells him about how she would like to visit Miss Emma but doesn't want to impose herself either. Grant replies that he would like to involve Vivian even more closely in his life, even if his aunt would not approve. After being in bed together, the pair head off together to Miss Emma's, who, upon seeing Vivian's face, is pleased by the sight of her
• The couple decides to go out for drinks at the Rainbow Club afterwards, and over brandy, Grant tells Vivian why he thinks his aunt and Miss Emma are asking so much of him. Grant thinks the two ladies are looking for a reason to be proud of him. Vivian doesn't seem to grasp what Grant is getting at and asks more specifically
• Grant retorts that black men have historically failed to protect their wives - either staying in the South but forfeiting their strength to do so, or running away and leaving the women alone with the children. Grant sees the difficulty in the fact that the path of a new beginning is hardly passable because the previous generations have simply made it impassable
• It's a real vicious circle. On the one hand, Grant appreciates that Miss Emma and Aunt Lou seem to believe in him so strongly that they want to raise him to be good. On the other hand, however, the two ladies' constant expectations and orders place a huge emotional burden on the young man that could destroy him sooner or later. When Vivian asks how they can break the cycle, Grant responds by saying that he thinks it will come down to Jefferson

Chapter 22

Info

• page: 183-192
• place: jail in Bayonne, Rainbow Club, small shop
• time: unknown
• people: Grant, Jefferson, Paul

Content

• Grant makes his way to the jail to see Jefferson. Paul reluctantly looks for the package of food for Jefferson. When Grant enters Jefferson's cell, the two men can have a much better conversation with each other for the first time
• At Grant's question, if he could bring something in particular next time, Jefferson replies that he would like lots and lots of vanilla ice cream to make up for the rest of his life when he never got enough ice cream. Jefferson is grateful for Grant's offer to bring him a small radio
• Next, Grant decides to borrow some money from the customers at the club. He uses the money to buy a radio in a small store on the outskirts of town. At the store, Grant once again encounters racism, as the white salesman initially wants to sell him an inferior quality radio. The elementary school teacher, however, does not take this lying down, and in the end he does receive the new, high-quality model
• Grant asks the court for permission to give the radio to Jefferson. After it is granted, he hands the radio over to Paul, who is supposed to bring it to Jefferson in the cell

Chapter 23

Info

• page: 193-202
• place: jail in Bayonne
• time: the next few days
• people: Grant, Miss Emma, Tante Lou, Reverend Ambrose, Jefferson

Content

• Jefferson is so excited about his radio that he doesn't want to leave the cell. So his visitors also have to visit him in his cell, where he lies quietly on his bed, captivated by the music, and seems to be completely out of it
• Throughout the visit, Jefferson does not speak a word, and Aunt Lou misinterprets his silence as a deterioration in his condition. Reverend Ambrose also positions himself against the acquisition of the radio, claiming that a diabolical influence emanates from the device
• The ignorance and narrow-mindedness with which the Reverend and Aunt Lou treat the radio infuriate Grant. There is no way he wants to take the device away from Jefferson again, especially since Jefferson finally opened up for the first time during his last visit
• The next time Grant visits Jefferson, he has another surprise for the prisoner. His students have collected a large bag of nuts for Jefferson, which Grant presents to him. At Grant's request to meet Miss Emma in the day room next time, rather than in the cell, Jefferson responds affirmatively. Also, Grant expresses the idea of bringing Jefferson a notebook on his next visit, in which he can write down all his thoughts. Surprisingly, Jefferson also welcomes this suggestion too
• As they leave, Jefferson tells Grant to thank the children for the nuts. Grant can hardly believe that Jefferson would say something so thoughtful. Against his impulse to hug him, he decides instead to squeeze Jefferson's hand affectionately and makes his way home

Chapter 24

Info

• page: 203-210
• time: unknown
• place: jail in Bayonne
• people: Grant, Jefferson, Miss Emma

Content:

• The next time Grant visits Jefferson, he comes with Miss Emma and, as promised, brings the prisoner a notebook and a pen. In the beginning, Jefferson seems to want to fall back into old patterns, as he doesn't want to eat anything in the day room and sits there silently. During a short walk around the room, Grant talks Jefferson down and encourages him to act like a hero, since there are enough people who are not capable of doing so Grant also admits that he is not a hero figure himself, but that Jefferson has the opportunity to be one in his situation
• The elementary school teacher enlightens Jefferson about the view held by most whites that blacks don't deserve to live - he also notes that as a teacher, he is not in a position to rebel against existing racist conventions, but Jefferson could do so since he is already in a dead-end position anyway
• Grant makes Jefferson understand that he needs his help more than the other way around, and as the prisoner silently listens to the elementary school teacher's words, he silently begins to weep, which also moves Grant