I'll be better when I come out than I was when I came in. I promise. I know it. Tish. Maybe there's something I had to see, and – I couldn't have seen it without coming in here
At the end of the novel, we are left in ambiguity on whether or not Fonny has made it out of jail. We hear the baby crying, and Tish sees him working on a sculpture—we are unsure, however, if these two things are happening in the same time or place. Additionally, Fonny is only able to escape—if he does escape—through a loophole in the system. This means that by the end of the novel, Fonny is living in a state of uncertainty—should anything happen, he will find himself in jail again. Additionally, if the D.A. is able to bring Mrs. Rogers back and secure her testimony, then Fonny's court case will resume, and it will be up to the jury to decide whether or not he was guilty of the crime. However, there is a beautiful, tender hope at the end of Beale Street. Tish and Fonny's baby brings new life and Fonny, who is "working on the wood," whistles and smiles.
