Light in August: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

At this point “the second phase began.” Christmas spends his days at the planing mill imagining what Joanna is doing in an absent, almost mindless way. At night they tell each other the “trivial details” of their days, more as a ritual than a real form of communication. Sometimes, after supper and before Christmas goes to join Joanna in bed, he lingers and thinks: “This is not my life. I don’t belong here.” During the day, Joanna is cold and placid, but at night Christmas witnesses Joanna’s wild and fearless desires, curiosities, and passions. She has “fits of jealous rage,” which surprises Christmas, although he thinks it is more a performance than anything, like acting out a play. 

Joanna has a love of secrecy and “intrigue,” and she leave notes for Christmas instructing him to enter the house only at certain times or through certain ways. Sometimes she insists that they have sex outside, and he finds her with her clothes already ripped apart, in the grip of “nymphomania.” Christmas feels that Joanna is completely “corrupted” now and starts feeling afraid of her, planning to move away. However, he is kept there by a mix of “curiosity, pessimism, and inertia.” He feels that Joanna is actually two people, opposites who are at war with each other. He senses that she is becoming religious, and can see that she has “begun to get fat.”

In the “third phase,” Christmas stays working at the planing mill but starts selling whisky on the side. Joanna begins to feel the “shadow of autumn” (meaning the onset of menopause and old age). She talks about having a child, as if she intuitively knows that it is now the very last chance for her to do so. The spark between her and Christmas is “dead,” and on weekends he goes to see sex workers in Memphis. Joanna keeps talking about God, saying she is “not ready to pray yet” and asking God for more time. In September, she asks Christmas about having children, and he immediately refuses. He believes she is trying to “trick” him into marrying her.

In late December, Joanna tells Christmas that she is pregnant. He is convinced that she is lying and that she will request that they get married, but she doesn’t. Instead she tells him now would be a good time to abandon her. Christmas keeps meaning to leave, but keeps putting it off. One day he finds a note from Joanna summoning him to the house that night. Without intending to, he prepares himself like a “bridegroom” and goes to join her. When he tries to have sex with her, she stops him and tells him he’s “wasting [his] life.” She then asks that he take over her business affairs, such as the correspondence and visits to the schools. She would be his secretary.

Christmas attempts to protest, but finds that he cannot provoke a response in her. At this point, Christmas has started living and working with Brown, who he considers “a fool.” He becomes terrified that Brown will find out about his relationship with Joanna. He is ashamed for anyone to know about this, and also worries that it will give away the secret that he is black. Christmas then receives another note from Joanna, although he does not open it. While he is getting ready in the cabin, Brown comments that it looks like Christmas is going into town. Christmas denies that he is, but when he leaves, he says: “See you in the morning,” mentally daring Brown to watch him go into Joanna’s house.

Christmas goes to the kitchen, where a plate is set for him, and puts the note down on the table, still without reading its contents. He eats in a slow, leisurely fashion, but is suddenly disturbed to see Brown’s face staring at him. Brown is leaning against the doorframe, and makes a “gleeful,” snarky comment of realization about Christmas’ late night trips to the house. Christmas immediately hits him, and Brown protests, alarmed. Christmas hits him again and Brown flees, cursing and threatening him once he is a safe distance away.

Christmas goes back inside the kitchen, leaving the still unread note lying on the table. He goes upstairs and finds Joanna at work with her documents. She reveals a plan for him to go to one of the black colleges with which she’s involved, after which he can go to Memphis and study law under her lawyer, Peebles. This way she can hand over all her business to him. Christmas is horrified by the idea of going to a “n_____ college” and working with a “n_____ lawyer.” Joanna explains that this way, he can attend for free.

Christmas tells Joanna to shut up and then comments that she is old and has gray hair. Immediately she hits him, and he hits her back, shouting that she is lying about being pregnant. He claims: “You’re just worn out. You’re not any good anymore.” Joanna curls up on the bed and says it might be better if they were both dead. After this, Joanna stops making food for Christmas, and Christmas stops washing and changing his clothes before he goes to see her. One day Christmas goes to see her in the house and finds her praying. He is disturbed and tells her to stop, but she ignores him. Later, he mutters to himself, “I had to do it,” even though he hasn’t actually done anything yet.

The next day Christmas finds Joanna praying again. She asks him to kneel down with her, telling him that he won’t need to speak to God himself. She just wants him to “make the first move” of kneeling. When he continues to refuse, she asks that he at least stay and wait until she is done. After, Joanna asks him to put on the light, but he says they don’t need light. He is holding a razor in his hand, although it is closed.  He feels that his body is “walking away from him.” Joanna once again tries to force him to pray with her. He again refuses. She unfolds her arms and Christmas sees that she is holding a revolver.

The chapter jumps ahead to Christmas flagging down a ride with a boy and girl he doesn’t know. They are in some kind of distress; the girl is wailing, and the boy tells her to be quiet. Christmas cannot even hear them, and has no idea that they are in a state of “desperate terror.” He asks where they are going, and the boy gives the name of the next town over. The boy says he is going to take a shortcut, which Christmas if fine with. The girl reveals that they live in the area, and starts mentioning her father and brothers, before the boy puts his hand over her mouth.

Christmas immediately asks to leave the car; when the girl panics, he assures them he is not going to hurt them. The car begins to drive away before Christmas is properly out, and as he stumbles something heavy hits him on the leg. He realizes it is the revolver, and that he has been holding it this entire time without realizing. It had been in his hand when he flagged down the car, and thus it suddenly becomes clear to him that this is why the girl was so terrified. He throws the gun into the bush, saying: “For her and for me.”