Chapter 16 Summary: A Speech in Favor of Constructing the Eerie Canal
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter is presented as a transcript of a speech delivered in 1817, urging New York State to build a canal. The orator mistakenly calls it the “Eerie Canal” and argues that it must be a terrifying, ghost-filled waterway to restore New York’s reputation as the nation’s spookiest state. He contrasts New York’s lack of a haunting canal with other states’ frightening turnpikes and roads, and he references local supernatural lore—including Dutch ghosts playing ninepins, headless horsemen, and Aaron Burr’s residency—to prove New York deserves a truly eerie canal. The speech grows more absurd as the speaker imagines the canal’s gory locks and ominous songs. Mid‑sentence, he stops, realizing his error: the canal is spelled “Erie,” not “Eerie.” The speech ends abruptly.
Key Events
- The speaker begins by praising the idea of an “Eerie Canal” and insisting New York needs a supernatural waterway.
- He lists other states’ scary infrastructure (turnpikes, macadam roads, causeways) and declares New York must outdo them.
- References to historical and literary horrors: Aaron Burr, Macbeth’s ghost, a headless horseman, and Edgar Allan Poe growing up in Baltimore.
- The speaker quotes the famous canal song “Low bridge! Everybody down!” and warns of decapitation.
- He presents a chart (mentioned but not shown) claiming New York was once a leading spooky state.
- The speech reaches a climax with the line “We must spare no—” and then the speaker interrupts himself with “what? … ah, I see,” realizing his misspelling.
Character Development
The only developed character is the orator (unnamed). He begins as a passionate, hyperbolic booster, fully convinced of the need for a terrifying canal. His confidence grows as he piles on absurd examples of eeriness. When he catches the spelling error, his tone shifts from grandiloquent to deflated—a quick, humiliating realization that undercuts his entire argument. The other figures (Aaron Burr, Macbeth, the headless horseman, Edgar Allan Poe) are merely name-dropped for comic effect and do not undergo change.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Wordplay and Misunderstanding: The core joke is the pun on “Eerie” vs. “Erie.” The word “eerie” becomes a symbol for the speaker’s misguided enthusiasm and his blindness to basic facts.
- Satire of Political Rhetoric: The speech mocks the grand, overblown language often used to promote public works projects. The speaker’s arguments are ridiculous, yet they mimic the earnest tone of real historical debates.
- Supernatural as Metaphor: Ghosts, goblins, and gory locks stand in for the excitement and risk that canal boosters attributed to the project. The speaker literalizes the metaphorical “spookiness” of change and infrastructure.
- Historical Humor: References to actual figures (Aaron Burr, Edgar Allan Poe) and events (Dutch settlements, witch hunts) ground the absurdity in real New York history, blending fact with fiction.
Why This Chapter Matters
“A Speech in Favor of Constructing the Eerie Canal” is a standout example of Petri’s method: using satire to illuminate historical topics. Beneath the comedy lies the genuine significance of the Erie Canal—a transformative engineering project that connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic and fueled New York’s economic growth. By poking fun at the rhetoric that surrounded the canal’s approval, Petri invites readers to consider how persuasive language can shape public policy, even when it’s wildly off‑base. The chapter also demonstrates how memory and legend (headless horsemen, ghost stories) intertwine with official history.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the speaker’s main argument for why New York should build the canal?
The speaker contends that New York must construct an “Eerie Canal” filled with ghosts and terrors to reclaim its status as the most spooky state. He fears other states have surpassed New York in supernatural infrastructure and that a haunting waterway is the only way to compete.
2. Which real historical and literary figures does the speaker reference, and why?
He mentions Aaron Burr (a controversial New York politician accused of treason), Macbeth’s ghost (from Shakespeare’s play), the headless horseman (from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”), and Edgar Allan Poe (then a child in Baltimore). Each reference bolsters his claim that New York has a deep well of eeriness to draw upon.
3. How does the speech reveal the orator’s mistake, and what effect does that revelation have?
The speaker ends a sentence with “We must spare no—” and then pauses, saying “what? … ah, I see.” This signals his sudden recognition that the canal is spelled “Erie,” not “Eerie.” The effect is comedic deflation: the entire grand argument collapses, exposing the speaker’s ignorance and turning a serious historical moment into a lesson in the importance of details.