Chapter 23 - Apple in the Middle

Summary

In this emotional chapter, the narrator reflects on a dramatic and life-changing incident. After a confrontation with Raph and Carl's son, the narrator falls into a grave and experiences a moment of unconsciousness, awakening to find their family gathered. Through this intense encounter, the narrator overcomes a deep fear of visiting their mother’s grave. With help from dreams and symbolic gestures, they come to realize their mother has always been spiritually present. This chapter is a reflection on loss, family, and finding peace amid tragedy.

Takeaways

• 💀 The narrator reflects on their near-death experience and the events that led up to it.
• 🍽️ Junior and Nezzie left the grave site because they were hungry and assumed the narrator would be back at the church.
• 🏃‍♂️ The family rushed to the grave site after realizing the narrator was missing and found them in a confrontation with Raph.
• 💥 The narrator hit their head after falling into the grave, rendering them unconscious.
• 👵 Grandma's cryptic statement to Carl about his wife being allergic to daisies carried a hidden meaning related to personal reflection.
• 💔 Carl and his son harmed the narrator, but Carl expressed regret, confused by how much the narrator resembled someone else.
• 🌼 The narrator discovered their mother’s grave next to the open grave they had fallen into, revealing deep emotional connections.
• 💬 The narrator realized that their mother had been with them in spirit all along, especially during their dream by the grave.
• 🐦 The peaceful cemetery setting, filled with the sounds of nature, becomes a place of solace for the narrator.
• 🛌 The narrator symbolically laid down next to their mother’s grave, finding peace and closure in a spiritual rest.

Q & A

What event was the family attending when the protagonist was incommunicado?

The family was attending grave sites when the protagonist was incommunicado.

Why did Junior and Nezzie decide to leave the gravesite and head back to the church?

Junior and Nezzie got hungry and assumed the women back at the church were making lunch, so they decided to head back to sneak a taste of the food.

What made the family realize that something was wrong when they couldn't find the protagonist at the church?

They noticed that the medicine wheel garden where the protagonist had a standoff with Raph was completely trampled.

How did the protagonist get knocked out?

The protagonist was knocked out after hitting their head when they fell into the grave.

What did the protagonist's family do when they reached the top of the hill and saw the protagonist in trouble?

Grandpa grabbed Raph's hunting rifle, Junior pinned Raph's arms back, and Grandma ran back down the hill to call the police.

What did Nezzie do to help the protagonist during the incident?

Nezzie kicked Raph, which she whispered to the protagonist later.

How did the protagonist feel about visiting graves, especially their mother's, before the incident?

Before the incident, the protagonist was afraid and petrified to visit any grave, including their mother's.

What was the unexpected outcome or 'blessing' that the protagonist found from the tragic incident?

The blessing was that the protagonist was able to see their mother and feel her presence in their life, which they had been unable to do before.

What did the protagonist realize about cemeteries after spending time in the grave?

The protagonist realized that cemeteries are not bad places but are actually places of life, just a different kind of life that we can't see.

What did Carl say to the protagonist when he was being led away by the police?

Carl said he never meant to harm the protagonist and that the protagonist looked so much like their mother, which confused him.

What was the significance of the daisy mentioned by the protagonist's grandmother to Carl?

The daisy was significant because it was etched on the protagonist's mother's grave marker and was also a symbol of her mother's love, which Carl seemed to seek.