The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Part 2, Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

As February arrives and a pneumonia outbreak spreads through town, Doctor Copeland finds himself overworked, exhausted, and increasingly agitated as Portia grows more and more despondent over not having heard from Willie. Doctor Copeland loses several patients to pneumonia—including the deaf and mute child—but tries not to blame himself for the losses, instead lamenting the structural injustices that contribute to poor health in his community.

At the end of February, Portia comes to Doctor Copeland’s house early one morning looking ill. She tells her father she has news—one of the young men who was incarcerated alongside Willie, Buster Johnson, has been released from the penitentiary, and has arrived home “crippled for life.” Portia tells her father that last night she went to see Buster, and he told her a harrowing tale. He and Willie were on the same roadwork project, and frequently butted heads with a white guard who constantly picked on the two of them and one other young man. After the third young man tried to run away about six weeks ago the guards locked him, Willie, and Buster in a cold shed for three days with no food or water. As Portia tells the story, Doctor Copeland remarks that he is “deaf,” and “cannot understand,” but she keeps going. 

Portia goes on to explain that all three young men’s feet began swelling in the cold. On the third day of their confinement, guards entered the shed, tied the men’s feet to ropes hanging from the ceiling, and left them once again. Doctor Copeland tells Portia, again, that he cannot hear what she’s saying, but Portia continues. She explains that when the guards at last removed the men from solitary confinement, their legs and feet had become gangrenous. While the runaway boy recovered, Buster was forced to have one foot amputated—and, according to him, Willie has lost both feet. Buster has no idea when Willie will be sent home, but since his sentence is up in a few months, he will likely be back sooner rather than later.

After banging her head against the table in grief, Portia announces that she has to leave if she wants to make it to work. Doctor Copeland follows her out, unwilling to let her make the long trek to work in such a state. At the Kelly house, Portia tells Willie’s story to the Kellys and the other boarders, and everyone listens in rapt, mournful silence. As Mick listens, she grows angry, and states that she’d like to round up the guards who tortured Willie and kill them.

After drinking some coffee, Doctor Copeland says he needs to get to his rounds. Portia begs him to stay with her for the day, but he refuses. He heads out on his rounds and his errands and finds that news of Willie’s suffering has spread quickly through town. His people’s sympathy, however, is not enough—Copeland wants justice.

Doctor Copeland walks to the courthouse, determined to visit with the judge—even though he has little faith that a white judge will serve justice for his son. At the courthouse, Doctor Copeland demands to see the judge, but the sheriff and deputy mock him and tell him to leave. When Copeland takes a seat in the hall outside the judge’s chambers and refuses to budge, the sheriff accuses Copeland of being drunk. Copeland insists he never drinks, but the sheriff strikes him to the ground. Two officers arrest Copeland and bring him down to the jail. As they force him into a cold, dank cell. Copeland tries to resist, but the officers kick him in the groin and leave him writhing on the ground. 

There are five other prisoners in the cell, a mixture of white and black men. All of the black prisoners recognize Doctor Copeland and ask what the honorable doctor is doing in jail. Doctor Copeland begins coughing terribly, agitated both physically and emotionally. Copeland spends a restless, feverish night in jail, and in the morning, he is released to find a small group including Singer, Portia, and Highboy waiting for him outside. Portia chastises her father for “messing around at a white folks’ courthouse,” then helps him home and into bed. Copeland immediately falls into a deep sleep.