Summary
Back on the playground, Bucky mediates a fearful conversation among the students. One student, Kenny Blumenfield, is crying uncontrollably from losing his classmates to polio. He fears that another one of his friends, or he himself, could quickly fall victim to the disease. For the first time in the novel, Bucky admits that he is afraid. He copes with his feelings by performing even better in his role as playground director. He plays for hours with the students in an attempt to heroically distract them from current events.
Suddenly, a chaotic scene emerges. Kenny violently lashes out at Horace and tries to forcibly remove him from the playground. From across the field, Bucky notices the physical dissimilarities between the two characters. Kenny, the strongest boy on the playground, is brawny and physically mature, while Horace is “scrawny and sunken.” Bucky worries that Kenny can inflict harm upon Horace, and he rushes across the playground to intervene.
When Bucky enters the scene, he is struck by Kenny’s hysteria. Kenny is revolted by the excrement on Horace’s hands and clothing, and he yells at the disabled man to leave the premises immediately. Kenny proclaims that Horace’s poor personal hygiene is the cause of polio. He treats Horace like a “rabid dog,” which causes Horace to wail and grow increasingly defiant. Bucky eventually ushers Horace off the playground and tries to calm Kenny down. However, Kenny remains convinced that Horace is spreading polio throughout Weequahic.
Bucky returns home later that evening. As he watches his grandmother prepare dinner, he thinks about his own mother. Although she died during childbirth, Bucky wonders how she would have aged if given the chance to. He reflects upon the sense of familial insecurity he has felt his whole life. He recalls moments in his childhood when he would observe other neighborhood families and feel as though his own was “incomplete.” Bucky, again, admits his doubts about God. While he was previously frustrated by the senselessness of polio, he now realizes the senselessness of his mother’s premature death.
As the sirens echo throughout the city, Bucky realizes he needs a break from the chaos. He decides to plan a trip to the Jersey Shore, where he can swim and dive carefree. As he plans his trip, he thinks about the privilege of “distancing” himself from two of the nation’s biggest current events—polio and the war. He feels ashamed for not serving in the war alongside his two best friends, Jake and Dave. While he is excited about their forthcoming return, he feels emasculated and inferior for not being a soldier. Instead, he likens his role as a playground director to that of a soldier.
Bucky’s thoughts are interrupted by a phone call from Marcia. She futilely asks Bucky to join her at her summer camp, although she knows he will refuse. To even his own surprise, Bucky tells Marcia that he will come work in the Poconos as the camp’s waterfront director. He also says he wants to get married. Marcia is ecstatic about both pieces of news, and she cannot wait to be reunited with her new fiancé. After they hang up, Bucky is confused about the brashness of his decision. He is quickly overcome with feelings of guilt and betrayal for leaving his role as playground director. When he calls his boss to announce that he is quitting, Bucky feels even more ashamed. The boss’s humiliating insults magnify the feeling that Bucky has gone against his grandfather’s values.
Bucky’s trip to the Poconos marks the first time he has left Weequahic in three years. His arrival at Indian Hill Summer Camp is nothing short of paradisiacal. As he relishes the lush greenery and the serenity of the lake, he finally feels free from Weequahic’s disease-ridden environment. He meets Mr. Blomback, the owner of the camp, and he is introduced to the Native American philosophies and teachings that are foundational to the camp’s mission. Most importantly, he is happily reunited with Marcia. For the first time in months, Bucky feels safe and secure.
Analysis
Bucky notes that Kenny Blumenfield distinguishes himself from his peers due to his emotional intelligence and maturity. Knowing this about Kenny’s character, Bucky is shocked to see him lashing out at Horace on the playground. Kenny’s reaction further ostracizes Horace and depicts him as an animalistic savage. Horace’s difference from those around him makes him an easy scapegoat. Following the incident with Kenny, Horace is especially unwelcome within the community. Even Bucky is anxious about being in his presence for fear of contracting polio.
Bucky first questioned his relationship to God during the funeral of Alan Michaels. However, in this section of the novel, we notice that Bucky’s doubt continues to intensify. As Bucky watches his grandmother move around the kitchen, he begins to consider the root of one of his deepest insecurities. Bucky realizes that he has been profoundly affected by growing up without his mother. Bucky grows resentful at life’s unexpected tragedies, but he also recognizes that he seeks to have a family of his own.
Bucky has every intention of staying in Newark and helping his students navigate the polio crisis. However, when Marcia offers him work at Indian Hill, he hastily—and seemingly without thinking—accepts the offer. Bucky’s hurriedness parallels the precipitance in which he asked Dr. Steinberg for Marcia’s hand in marriage. From these two examples, the reader can infer that Bucky’s conscience often clouds his judgment and prohibits him from doing what he actually wants. When Bucky encounters love, he moves intuitively and gravitates towards its source.
Bucky’s trip to Indian Hill marks the first time he has left Newark since his grandfather’s death three years prior. Because Bucky must provide for himself and his grandmother, he does not have the privilege of taking vacations. This fact establishes the difference between Bucky and Marcia’s socioeconomic positions. Upon his arrival at camp, Bucky is struck by Indian Hill’s natural beauty. He juxtaposes Newark’s dirt and mugginess with the pure, untampered air of the Poconos mountains. Bucky remarks that the camp is a paradise for the children who can afford to attend.
Bucky notes that Native American tradition is central to the Indian Hill camp experience. Mr. Blomback appropriates indigenous practices and claims them as his own. During Indian Night, which takes place each week, Mr. Blomback encourages his campers and counselors to dye their skin darker and wear headdresses. In doing so, Mr. Blomback reduces Native American culture to a literal costume. Mr. Blomback promotes “Americana” by erasing the history of the indigenous genocide. Instead, his weekly update about American politics celebrates nationalism and imperialism.
