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Chapter 29
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
Odie asks Whisker if Sister Eve really heals people. Whisker insists that the truth is not always black and white. He tells them to talk to Sister Eve, who is not a liar. The children wait in her tent with the snakes, which Odie now realizes are more fakes. Eve returns, assuring them Dimitri is all right. Odie calls her a liar. Sister Eve takes his hand and suddenly knows that he followed Sid into the city. According to her, she never claimed to heal people, giving all credit to God. Angry, Odie throws one of the harmless snakes at her, scaring Emmy, who knocks over the other cages. Albert grabs Emmy before crying out. Lucifer has bitten his calf.
Whisker’s response to Odie seems overly cautious, suggesting there is some truth to Odie’s assertion that Eve is a con woman. Nevertheless, he encourages Odie to speak with Eve directly, showing it is always best to communicate with others in one’s community instead of relying on hearsay. It is worth noting that Eve neither defends herself nor apologizes to Odie—she only recommends that he calm down and claims that she has never misrepresented her abilities. Again, Odie’s anger makes him act rashly, and Albert ends up getting hurt.
Themes
Mose kills Lucifer with a table leg. Sid appears and reassures Albert that he has the antivenom in his satchel. Panicking, Odie realizes Sid is referring to the vial and syringe he threw in the river, thinking it was dope. Sid tells Eve they need to find Albert a doctor immediately. In town, they are admitted to Dr. Pfeiffer’s office, but he has no antivenom since rattlesnake bites are not common in Sioux County. Dr. Pfeiffer sends his assistant to call around to other hospitals and see if they have any. In the meantime, he works to siphon the venom out of Albert’s wound.
Not only has Odie’s outburst harmed Albert, but his premature judgment of Sid has led him to destroy the antivenom that could’ve saved his brother’s life. Here, the novel highlights the dangers of jumping to conclusions instead of directly confronting a person about their actions, especially when one lives in community with that person. The lack of antivenom nearby makes Albert’s situation all the more dire.
Themes
The doctor’s assistant returns with news that Winona General Hospital is sending antivenom by car. Dr. Pfeiffer goes to call the hospital himself, while Odie and Mose make Albert comfortable. Odie eavesdrops on Pfeiffer telling Sister Eve that the poison could spread to Albert’s heart and kill him if they don’t amputate his leg. The antivenom will not arrive for four or five hours, at which point Albert might be dead. Believing Albert would rather die than lose a leg, Odie steps in. In the end, they let Albert decide. He chooses to wait for the antivenom, wanting to keep his leg even if it means risking death.
The way Sister Eve stays by Albert’s side instead of abandoning him or worrying about her reputation indicates that at least the care she has shown for the children is genuine.
Themes
