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Chapter 26
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
The children settle into their new lives in the Sword of Gideon Healing Crusade. Odie and Emmy stay in Sister Eve’s suites, while Mose and Albert sleep in the workers’ tents. Mose works in the kitchen with a cook named Dimitri, while Albert uses his mechanical abilities alongside the other laborers. Whisker, the piano player, instructs Odie in music. According to Whisker, Sid (the trumpet player) is jealous of Odie’s talent and the way Sister Eve dotes on him. Among the crusaders, no one speaks much of their past, and they all accept one another as family. In the evenings, Odie performs onstage with Sister Eve as she heals people, if not physically, then by giving them hope.
For the first time, the children are welcomed into a community where their talents are appreciated rather than abused or exploited. The companionship that exists between the other crusaders reiterates the idea that family is defined by care and support rather than blood. Whisker’s tutelage in particular nourishes Odie musically and helps him to grow as a person, as he has never before had an adult mentor him in this way. Sid’s jealousy, on the other hand, portends further conflict, showing that no community is without its flaws. Odie recognizes the hope that Sister Eve gives to people as her primary appeal—the healing itself is just an added bonus.
Themes
Odie overhears Sid telling another musician how Sister Eve makes people “crack open their wallets.” He assumes the money goes to feeding the poor who come to the shows. After the services, Odie plays music with Eve, Sid, and Whisker. He imagines how different things would be if Eve were in charge of Lincoln School instead of Mrs. Brickman. The crusade will stay two weeks in New Bremen before moving on. A smoker and a drinker, Eve tells Odie that peoples’ imperfections allow God’s light to shine through them. Odie thinks of staying with Sister Eve if they can’t find Aunt Julia, but Albert still thinks the situation is too good to last. He tells Odie to watch out for Sid.
Sid’s comment implies that Sister Eve and the crusaders are profiting from the services, signaling there may be some shady business dealings afoot. Still, Odie is captivated by Sister Eve and life among the crusaders. The marked contrast between Sister Eve’s encouragement and Mrs. Brickman’s abuse highlights the different ways people can use (or misuse) their power. Despite her status as leader of the crusade, Eve is humble instead of pretentious, preaching a message of forgiveness and showcasing her own imperfections. Eve is perhaps the first person who offers Odie and his friends genuine safety. Albert’s predictions of disaster sow seeds of doubt in Odie’s mind.
Themes
Sid acts as Eve’s business manager and does the crusade’s publicity. According to Whisker, when Sid joined them, he revolutionized Sister Eve’s performances, adding the white robe and the post-show meal. A snake charmer from Kansas, Sid has four snakes he and Eve use to demonstrate how to tame Satan. Three of the snakes (which are kept in Sister Eve’s vanity tent) are not poisonous, though they resemble snakes that are. The fourth, Lucifer, is a rattlesnake that only Sid ever handles. He milks Lucifer’s venom before performing with him. When Odie learns that the rattlesnake eats mice, he thinks of Faria, and his dislike for the snake grows.
Sid’s additions to Eve’s show showcase his business savvy and talent for drawing in a crowd, suggesting that he—if not Eve—views the crusade as a profitable gig rather than a holy mission. His collection of snakes who look poisonous but mostly aren’t implies he uses them in some sort of misdirection or con. Despite Odie’s dislike of Sid, he does not seem to understand what Whiskers tells him about Sid’s involvement in the show. As the only truly poisonous snake, Lucifer’s presence is ominous, foreshadowing potential disaster if he should escape.
Themes
