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Chapter 53
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
Jack’s arm is in a sling, and he seems genuinely happy to see Odie. They talk outside. Odie’s bullet missed Jack’s heart by half an inch. Considering this a miracle, Jack destroyed the still Albert made, got sober, and came to Saint Paul to find Aggie and Sophie. The family has reunited and made amends—Rudy was only trying to protect them from Jack’s anger. Still worried about Jack’s unpredictable nature, Odie lies about the others’ whereabouts, saying they split up. Jack apologizes for treating the kids poorly and stealing their money. Odie is grateful that Jack’s survival has freed him of his guilt. Jack says goodbye, thanking Odie for showing him how strange and beautiful life can be.
Being shot by Odie seems to have been a wake-up call for Jack to change his life for the better. His brush with death has given him a fresh perspective on life and a renewed understanding of the role he played in his own past suffering. Though Odie did not knowingly spare Jack’s life, Jack’s survival and redemption demonstrate the powerful effects of a second chance. Feeling as though the universe or God has forgiven him for his own transgressions, Jack forgives Odie, which in turn enables Odie to forgive himself. Here, the novel returns to ideas of human imperfection and human goodness as they relate to the divine current that runs through the world.
Themes
Odie has no chance to tell the others about Jack’s resurrection before dinner. Albert arrives with Truman and Calvin in high spirits—he’s repaired the towboat and has many celebratory drinks. Emmy and Albert fall asleep early. Odie joins Mose, who is moongazing outside. The Flats smell like decay from previous flood damage. Mose tells Odie that Truman has offered both him and Albert jobs. He likes the Flats and its community, and he suggests settling there instead of continuing toward Saint Louis. Odie feels Albert has changed too much and worries that the promise of the Flats, like all others, will be broken, destroying his family. Odie resolves to find their true home in Saint Louis.
Albert takes great joy in his success with Truman’s showboat, highlighting the personal satisfaction that occurs when one contributes their talents to their community. This moment also implies that Albert has found a home in the Flats—as has Mose, who appreciates the area’s diversity and Calvin’s presence. Odie’s fear of change resurfaces here, as he worries the group no longer shares a common goal. Rather than accept the fact that people grow apart as they grow older, Odie resolves to convince the others that his way is best.
Themes
