Gilead: Pages 209-215 Summary & Analysis

This morning there was a glorious dawn. John thinks about how light is constant; Earth just turns over in it. But it’s all one day, “that first day.” He thinks about his son getting old someday and finds the thought precious. He advises his son to be diligent in his prayers. He won’t be around to help his son carry the weight of his years, but the Lord will.

This day has been strange. Glory invited Lila to the movies, and when she arrived, she dropped off Boughton. Boughton rarely leaves his house nowadays, and he seemed exhausted by the effort of coming over to John’s house. While there, he finally spoke up and said that Jack isn’t “right with himself.” He said that Jack has never told him why he’s back, or what he’d been doing in St. Louis. He’s also noticed that Jack comes to visit John and Lila. John didn’t know how to take this, but it seemed like Boughton was warning him about something. He felt confirmed in the belief that he must talk to his wife about Jack.

While John and Boughton were still sitting there, Jack arrived, and John invited him in. He looked as if he knew just what the men had been discussing, and he looked embarrassed and a little angry, as he often does. Boughton soon nodded off, leaving John, as always, wondering what to say to Jack. The conversation limped along pitifully for a while. John didn’t know what else he could have said—after all, Boughton didn’t tell him much. But Jack knew John wasn’t being honest with him, and the whole situation was humiliating. It troubles John’s heart even as he writes this.

When John prays about Jack, it’s Jack’s sadness that strikes him the most. He feels Jack must be forgiven a great deal on account of his sadness. And by the time the women and John’s son come back, the mood in the house is a little lighter. It’s a relief to no longer be alone with Jack. Jack wanders off soon after. After supper, Lila and Glory take a walk to look for Jack, and though they don’t say so, John surmises that they found him at the local bar.