117 pages • 3 hours read
Michael ChabonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Part 1, Chapters 1-4
Part 2, Chapters 1-6
Part 2, Chapters 7-12
Part 3, Chapters 1-4
Part 3, Chapters 5-11
Part 3, Chapters 12-15
Part 4, Chapters 1-4
Part 4, Chapters 5-6
Part 4, Chapters 7-10
Part 4, Chapters 11-14
Part 4, Chapters 15-17
Part 5, Chapters 1-7
Part 6, Chapters 1-4
Part 6, Chapters 5-9
Part 6, Chapters 10-14
Part 6, Chapters 15-20
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
A van pulls up in front of Rosa and Sam’s house. The driver brings out one long, coffin-shaped box. Tommy suspects it’s a box for a magic trick and asks Rosa if she thinks Joe will teach him how to perform the trick. Rosa admits to herself she’s not sure if Joe is coming back but tells Tommy that she doesn’t know what Joe is going to do.
Joe and Sammy returned home the previous night seeming pensive and a little sad. Rosa assumes it all has to do with the Escapist, remembering how his demise came as a shock to her. Rosa is sad about what she feels Sam has lost.
When Rosa awoke in the morning, Joe and the Studebaker were gone, though Joe’s clothes and valise were still there. Sam had said that Joe would have left a note and taken his things if he planned on not coming back. Rosa reminded Sam that Joe didn’t leave a note the last time.
Tommy guesses that the coffin box is filled with Joe’s old chains from his escape-artist days. The delivery man, Al Button, seems to believe that’s plausible on account of how heavy the box is.
By Michael Chabon