Chapter 8

Chapter 8 (Present)

Silas has a lunch date with Angie
they talk about how Larry is still unconscious, how French believes that Larry has shot himself
Angie believes Larry might have done so either because of guilt about having murdered Cindy and/or Tina Rutherford or because of everybody suspecting him of doing so
Silas confesses his friendship with Larry to Angie and how he and his mother came to Chabot
also explains how their friendship grew despite Larry‘s awkwardness (fondness of snakes, reading horror novels)
tells story of haunted house: Larry had a particularly horrible zombie mask and was thus invited to be part of a haunted house party, everybody (including Silas himself and Cindy) rejected him after the party
Angie asks Silas whether he had ever gone out with Cindy, but Silas denies that
Angie is called to an accident and Silas visits Larry who is barely alive and in coma and afterwards visits Ina with whom he can barely talk due to her Alzheimer‘s disease
Silas remembers the one time he was at Larry‘s home (with the family gone) mowing the lawn because he never had an opportunity to do so, Larry got all the credit for that $\rightarrow$ Silas feels lack of a father back then
in the present, Silas puts the puzzle pieces together: that Larry‘s father impregnated Alice who was then sent to Chicago and who reconnected with Carl when she returned to Chabot
when revisiting the cabin where Silas used to live, he encounters a young white man driving a tractor in the middle of the road
warns the man against bad driving
Silas notices a white pillowcase and makes suggestions towards the Ku Klux Klan
the mans name is Wallace Stringfellow, Silas lets him go with a warning
Silas reflects on how his mother used to ask him what was missing out of him; on how badly he treated her, rejecting her love and affection; and on his weird friendship with Larry
arriving at the cabin, Silas is shocked about the decayed condition the cabin is in, covered in vines, weeds, and plants (snake-like)
someone had broken into the cabin
Silas realizes that someone has dug a grave underneath his former bed

Function

introduces new elements to the mix of the two main plots $\rightarrow$ raises more questions
new elements: Silas‘ silence upon the question whether he had ever dated Cindy and the introduction of Wallace Stringfellow
$\rightarrow$ Silas‘ silence is a very clear statement about the actual answer, answer has deeper, layered implications for both plot lines (friendship, mystery)
$\rightarrow$ Stringfellow foreshadows later revelations linked to both plot lines, also relates to novel‘s themes (relationship past and present, layers of truth)
other important elements: zombie mask (appears in the past whereas it is also existent in the present when Larry is shot), reference to Ina‘s Alzheimer‘s disease (provides obstacle to Silas‘ uncovering the final truth but is also in line with relationship between past and present), the reference to snakes (which reflects the individual identities and circumstances of Larry and Silas and their relationship), references to Silas’ beliefs about Carl
final image: grave under Silas‘ bed draws the reader further forward into the story, providing answers to questions implied