In the novel’s final scene, Turner sits in the very same dining room that Elwood used to fantasize about as a boy. From the kitchen, young Elwood always hoped to catch a glimpse of a black person sitting down at one of the restaurant tables—a vision of equality and desegregation that he never got to witness. Now, though, Turner unknowingly fulfills Elwood’s wish. In this manner, Whitehead implies that although the United States still struggles with racism and bigotry, the country
has made some progress through the sacrifices of people like Elwood, even if that progress seems small in the face of continued injustices.