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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in This Tender Land, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family, Community, and Home
Hardship, Injustice, and Compassion
God, Fate, and Choice
Coming of Age and Personal Growth
Storytelling, Music, and Hope
Acceptance and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Albert finds a trail sign indicating Mose and Emmy went east. Following the river, the brothers find their friends, who moved because some kids were fishing nearby. Odie transfers the hidden $10 into his new boots, and they continue paddling. He makes a sock puppet to keep Emmy entertained. In the afternoon, Albert goes into another town to buy food. Odie asks Emmy about her sleepwalking episode, but she does not remember speaking to him. Taking three dollars from the pillowcase, Odie investigates a nearby farmhouse. A young girl catches him taking some shirts off the line. Odie pretends to be following the railroad and leaves cash for the shirts.
Albert’s practical knowledge once again comes in handy, leading him and Odie to their friends. The close attention that Odie pays to Emmy shows that he thinks of her as a little sister for whom he is responsible. That Emmy forgets what she said while sleepwalking makes the whole occurrence stranger and hints at something supernatural about it. While Odie only makes his solo exploration once Albert is away, he leaves payment for the shirts, as if to disprove Albert’s fear that he will become a criminal.
Themes
When Odie returns, Albert scolds him for running off. Odie presents the shirts as replacements for their recognizable Lincoln uniforms. Albert is equally upset about Odie paying three dollars for the shirts as he is about the thought of stealing. Odie does not mention the girl who saw him, but he spends the rest of the day irritated at Albert, who is impossible to please. A storm approaches in the evening, and the children search for cover. While Mose and Albert investigate a nearby orchard, Emmy and Odie talk about their mothers. Odie reckons Emmy will always miss Mrs. Frost, but “it won’t always hurt.” The children take shelter in the potting shed of a nearby farmhouse, planning to leave before dawn.
Odie’s attempt to impress Albert with his honesty fails, leaving both boys in a bad mood. The disagreement between the brothers demonstrates one of the most common pitfalls of living in community: sometimes, people don’t see eye to eye, leading to conflict. Odie’s desire to please his older brother and prove himself useful and mature points to the growing pains he experiences along his journey. The remark that grief “won’t always hurt” speaks to Odie’s past suffering, which has resulted in worldly wisdom despite his young age. It also suggests that peace and acceptance of loss only comes with time.
Themes
During the night, Emmy has a fit resembling an epileptic seizure. Odie, Albert, and Mose have seen this happen before on the Frosts’ farm. Mrs. Frost said Emmy suffered the fits ever since her father’s accident, in which she suffered a head injury. The fits do not seem to hurt Emmy, but Mrs. Frost made the boys promise to keep her condition secret. Now, Emmy stops seizing and tells Odie “He’s not dead.” He wonders if she’s talking about DiMarco. At dawn, the farmer finds them in the shed: it is the one-eyed pig scarer (One-eyed Jack) from the shop, holding a shotgun. The man seems to recognize something about Emmy.
Emmy’s fit, followed by another cryptic statement, amplifies the sense that something supernatural is taking place. Odie certainly believes so, as he wonders if the man who is “not dead” is DiMarco, fearing the abuser’s revenge. It is worth noting that this fit occurs just before One-eyed Jack discovers the children in his shed.
Themes
