Buckeye Chapter Ten – Summary and 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

The chapter opens with Cal overwhelmed by shame after his first sexual encounter with Margaret. He resolves never to repeat it, but within a week he finds himself driving past her house repeatedly. Margaret invites him in, and they begin a structured Thursday afternoon affair. They use precautions, vary his parking spots, and enter through the kitchen to avoid detection. Both rationalize the arrangement as separate from their marriages—Margaret seeks physical desire, Cal seeks adventure. Cal is torn between excitement and guilt, often slapping his forehead in the shower afterward. Margaret keeps Felix’s letters in a box; a note about an upcoming R&R briefly eases her guilt until she realizes the letter is already a month old, the R&R over.

The narrative shifts to Felix aboard the Teague. He reflects on the ship’s noise, heat, and the crudeness of his crewmates. He observes that despite the talk of killing, no one has actually killed. Felix feels isolated by his lack of racy stories, pretending amusement to fit in. He notices a new sailor, Augustus “Augie” Varick, a Pentecostal farmer who doesn’t smoke but bummed one to belong. Felix plucks the cigarette from his lips, and a silent understanding forms. Over weeks, they exchange looks and nods without eye contact. When the Teague reaches Espiritu Santo for R&R, Felix and Augie end up as the last two men in the last Quonset hut. They begin a physical relationship, meeting each night in Augie’s room. They also befriend a local monkey, Jamoke, and jokingly plan to buy him. On their last night, they dread the return.

Back aboard, Felix wants to talk to Augie about what happened but loses his nerve in Nouméa, avoiding him. On the night of June 25, 1945, a torpedo strikes the Teague. A second blast follows, the ship lists badly, and the lights die. Felix helps distribute life vests, but is thrown against a hatch, injuring his arm and head. He and two other men climb to the bulwark as the ship rolls. They jump into oily water. The Teague sinks within nine minutes. Felix survives, but Augie’s fate is unknown.

Key Events

Cal and Margaret begin a secret Thursday affair, using precautions to avoid detection.
Margaret reads a letter from Felix about upcoming R&R, then realizes the letter is outdated.
Felix reflects on ship life: noise, heat, crew talk about women and killing.
Felix meets Augie Varick and silently connects with him.
During R&R on Espiritu Santo, Felix and Augie share a Quonset hut and become intimate.
They befriend a monkey named Jamoke.
Felix avoids Augie upon returning to the ship, afraid to confront their relationship.
The Teague is hit by a torpedo and multiple explosions; Felix escapes but Augie is unaccounted for.

Character Development

Cal: Initially horrified by his actions, Cal quickly yields to desire. He compartmentalizes his affair, seeing it as separate from his marriage while struggling with guilt. His behavior shows a man seeking adventure and escaping routine.

Margaret: Margaret initiates the structure of the affair, seeking to feel desired. She rationalizes the relationship as something outside her marriage that helps her cope with Felix’s absence. Her guilt diminishes when she misinterprets a letter’s timing.

Felix: This chapter deepens Felix’s isolation at sea. He is an observer more than a participant, uncomfortable with the crew’s crudeness. His connection with Augie reveals a long-suppressed part of himself, but fear prevents him from acting on it after the island. His survival instinct kicks in during the attack.

Augie: Augie is younger, inexperienced with smoking, yet open to new experiences. His Pentecostal background and talk of laying on of hands suggest a spiritual openness. He initiates the physical relationship with Felix and appears comfortable with it, but Felix’s avoidance leaves his perspective unclear.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Secrecy and Dual Lives: Cal and Margaret lead double lives, careful to separate the affair from their marriages. Felix and Augie also must hide their relationship due to military hierarchy and social norms. The parallel secrecy highlights the repressive expectations of the era.

Time and Distance: Margaret’s guilt is shaped by the time lag in Felix’s letters—his present is her past, a motif that recurs. The torpedo attack collapses time into minutes, contrasting with the slow boredom of ship life.

War’s Dehumanizing Effects: Felix notices the crew’s casual talk of killing and their hatred of the enemy, yet none have actually killed. The ship itself is a noisy, oppressive machine. The monkey Jamoke represents a brief escape from this grim environment.

Physicality and Connection: Both affairs are intensely physical—Cal and Margaret’s sex, Felix and Augie’s intimacy. The chapter contrasts the purposeful physicality of the lovers with the random violence of war.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Ten serves as a turning point: Cal and Margaret’s affair is now established, with implications for their marriages. Felix experiences both emotional and physical intimacy for the first time in years, only to have it threatened by battle. The torpedo attack introduces immediate danger, raising questions about survival and loss. The parallel stories of secret desires—one domestic, one at war—are drawn together by the theme of longing for connection. This chapter sets up the consequences of both affairs, as the war directly impacts Felix’s world.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How do Cal and Margaret justify their affair to themselves?
Answer: Cal frames it as an adventure separate from his marriage, while Margaret sees it as necessary to feel desired and to cope with Felix’s absence. They both agree it is “outside” their marriages and not meant to upset them.

2. What does the monkey Jamoke symbolize for Felix and Augie on Espiritu Santo?
Answer: Jamoke represents a lighthearted escape from war and a possible shared future they cannot acknowledge. Their joking about buying the monkey and imagining its refined future mirrors their unspoken desire to build something together, even as they know it is impossible.

3. Why does Felix avoid Augie in Nouméa after their R&R?
Answer: Felix is afraid to learn whether Augie wants to continue their relationship or talk about it. He is confused by his own feelings—gratitude mixed with guilt—and fears rejection or visibility. He chooses to dodge Augie rather than face the uncertainty.