Chapter summaries Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng Kylie Lee Baker

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng Chapter Twenty-Four Summary & Analysis

⚠️ 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

Cora leaves Auntie Zeng’s apartment without her mask, nostalgic for when COVID was her biggest fear. She walks to a church crypt, retrieves two small propane tanks, and heads back to the street. A white jogger stops her, grabs her arm, and calls her racist slurs. Cora shoves him into traffic, but he survives and screams “bat eater” at her. Instead of backing down, Cora embraces the insult, shouting back that she is a bat eater. She descends into the East Broadway station (closed due to COVID), hops the turnstile, and jumps onto the tracks. There she finds Yuxi and another ghost waiting. As she walks, more ghosts join her—hundreds of hungry ghosts, the dead women from Officer Wang’s photographs. Cora leads them to Gracie Mansion, pours propane around the porch, and lights a match. The house burns, and the mayor’s wife escapes. Afterward, Cora returns to Auntie Zeng, who says it’s the last day of Ghost Month. They go to the East River and release lotus lanterns to guide the ghosts home. Cora lights the final lantern, wondering if Delilah can hear her.

Key Events

  • Cora retrieves propane tanks from a church crypt.
  • A man harasses Cora, grabs her arm, and calls her a “bat eater.”
  • Cora shoves the man into the street; he survives and escalates his racist abuse.
  • Cora publicly declares herself a “bat eater,” refusing to be shamed.
  • She enters the closed East Broadway station, jumps onto the tracks, and is followed by hundreds of hungry ghosts.
  • Cora leads the ghosts to Gracie Mansion and sets the mayor’s residence on fire.
  • Auntie Zeng takes Cora to the East River to release paper lanterns on the final night of Ghost Month.
  • Cora lights the last lantern, hoping to reach Delilah.

Character Development

Cora Zeng transforms from a trauma-haunted survivor into an agent of defiant rage. When the man calls her “bat eater,” she reclaims the slur as a weapon, shouting it back at him. This moment solidifies her new identity: she will be the monster racists fear. Her actions shift from fleeing to confronting—shoving the man, leading the ghosts, and burning down a symbol of power. She also shows compassion for the forgotten dead, calling the ghosts “girls torn apart” and giving them the fire as an offering. Her prayer at the end is the first time she prays with sincerity.

Yuxi remains a silent observer, her presence grounding Cora in the ghost world. She helps Cora by opening doors and pulling her back from the fire, but her motives stay unclear.

Auntie Zeng acts as a spiritual guide, reminding Cora of ritual obligations. Her calm acceptance of Cora’s soot-covered return shows she understands the gravity of what Cora has done.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Reclamation of Slurs: Cora’s embrace of “bat eater” turns a racist epithet into a badge of power. She decides to embody the very stereotype her attacker fears.
  • Hungry Ghosts as Witnesses: The ghosts are not just victims; they become an army following Cora. They represent the forgotten Asian women whose deaths were ignored. Their presence amplifies Cora’s mission.
  • Fire as Purification and Offering: The burning of Gracie Mansion is both destruction and ritual. Cora gives the flames to the ghosts, hoping it will bring them peace. Fire cleanses and consumes, paralleling the Ghost Month tradition of burning joss paper.
  • Light and Darkness: The chapter contrasts the “soft circles of white” garden lights with the “darkness where their eyes should have been.” Cora moves through darkness to find purpose, and the lanterns become tiny stars guiding the dead home.
  • Trauma and Survival: The flashback to Delilah’s death triggers Cora’s violent response. Her PTSD is the engine of her actions; she fights because she cannot bear to be another corpse.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the emotional and thematic climax of the novel. Cora fully rejects the role of passive victim and embraces a monstrous identity on her own terms. The literal army of hungry ghosts visualizes the weight of systemic violence against Asian women, and Cora’s arson at Gracie Mansion is a direct challenge to the mayor and the institutions that failed to protect them. The ritual of releasing lanterns ties her personal vengeance back to communal healing, showing that Cora still hopes for peace even as she burns the old world down.

Study Questions

1. Why does Cora shout “I am a fucking bat eater” back at the man, and what does this reveal about her character?
Answer: Cora reclaims the slur to rob it of its power. She refuses to be shamed or silenced. This reveals her transformation into someone who will weaponize others’ hatred rather than cower from it, marking a shift from internalized fear to defiant agency.

2. What is the significance of the hungry ghosts following Cora to Gracie Mansion?
Answer: The ghosts are the spirits of murdered Asian women, ignored by society. Their procession mirrors a protest or funeral march. They give Cora a purpose beyond revenge: she becomes their vessel, using fire to offer them the justice they never received in life.

3. How does the setting of the East Broadway station (where Delilah died) influence Cora’s actions in this chapter?
Answer: Returning to the site of trauma forces Cora to confront her powerlessness. By jumping onto the tracks voluntarily and walking into the dark, she re-stages the tragedy on her own terms. This act reclaims the space and transforms it from a place of death into a passage toward her new identity.

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