Buckeye Chapter Twenty-One 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 spans from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s, tracking national events—the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the escalating Vietnam War—alongside the lives of the Jenkins family and those connected to them. Cal and Becky watch their son Skip drift through jobs and relationships, while Cal secretly observes the graduation of Tom (his biological son with Margaret) from a distance. Everett, now in his eighties, writes a scathing letter to President Johnson about Vietnam and civil rights, then dies peacefully. Skip, after years of indecision, enlists in the Marines, shocking his parents. Tom becomes an anti-war activist at college. The chapter ends with Skip writing a letter to Tom from overseas in January 1968, leaving his fate uncertain.

Key Events

Cal and Becky’s awareness of national turmoil: the atomic bomb, McCarthyism, Montgomery bus boycott, Little Rock Nine, and Greensboro sit-ins.
Everett’s aging and his angry letter to Lyndon B. Johnson about the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and civil rights.
Everett’s death shortly after writing the letter; his funeral where two fellow Zane Grey Boys sing “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier.”
Cal’s internal inheritance: he begins to feel and mimic Everett’s anger and mannerisms.
Tom’s childhood and adolescence: his mother Margaret’s abandonment, his lies about her death, his growing resentment, and his eventual reconciliation with Felix.
Tom’s graduation from Bonhomie High School in 1964; Cal and Becky watch from the fence together.
Skip’s aimlessness after high school: jobs at a gas station, produce plant, lightbulb factory, and others; his relationship with Patty Renneker and others.
Tom’s college years: he discovers engineering, builds a radio, and becomes involved in anti-war protests and a “Human Be-In.”
Skip’s encounter with a recruiter, Bill Sharp, at a tiki lounge, leading to his voluntary enlistment in the Marines in early 1967.
Becky’s fear and her discussion with Felix about whether to tell Tom and Skip the truth about Cal’s paternity; Felix is not ready.
Skip’s return home after basic training, now with visible conviction and muscle; Tom visits from Toledo.
The chapter ends with Skip’s letter to Tom from overseas, dated January 10, 1968, implying he is in Vietnam.

Character Development

Cal: Grows into middle age, accepting his leg condition with Becky’s help. He secretly longs for Tom to know the truth but never acts. After Everett’s death, he absorbs his father’s political anger and becomes more introspective.
Becky: Transitions into middle age with grace, becoming more assertive in weeding out frivolous clients. She is fiercely protective of Skip and considers drastic measures (chloroform, driving him to Canada) to keep him from the draft. She initiates the conversation with Felix about revealing Cal’s paternity.
Skip: Develops from a directionless young man drifting through jobs into a confident Marine recruit. His enlistment shocks his parents and represents a decisive, independent choice—one that puts him directly in harm’s way.
Tom: Grows from a resentful, insecure boy into a politically conscious young adult. He becomes an activist, finds his own style, and maintains a close bond with Skip despite their differing views on the war.
Everett: Softens in old age but dies with his political fire intact. His letter to LBJ and his funeral song underscore his lifelong anti-war stance.
Felix: Remains a steady, loving father to Tom. He wrestles with the decision to reveal Cal’s secret, ultimately choosing to protect Tom from potential harm.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The draft and personal choice: Skip’s enlistment contrasts with Tom’s activism, showing how different responses to the same pressure shape identity. Becky’s willingness to drive Skip to Canada highlights parental desperation.
Secrecy and truth: The paternity secret lingers; Cal’s desire to tell the boys conflicts with Felix’s caution and Becky’s evolving view. The chapter asks when silence protects and when it harms.
Aging and inheritance: Everett’s death passes his political anger to Cal. Cal sees his own mortality in his father’s loss and begins to act and feel like him.
The domestic versus the national: The miniature trains in the basement symbolize a lost childhood safe space. Becky and Cal listen to their sons laugh and wish they could keep them there forever.
War’s uncertainty: Skip’s impending deployment and the chapter’s final letter create a pervasive sense of dread. The “light from a star” metaphor captures the anxiety of waiting for news.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point that accelerates the novel’s central tensions. It brings the Vietnam War directly into the Jenkins family, forcing each character to confront their beliefs about duty, fear, and love. The paternity question resurfaces with new urgency as both young men face mortal danger. Everett’s death strips away the family’s oldest voice of dissent, while Skip’s enlistment tests Becky and Cal’s marriage and their relationship with Felix. The chapter sets up the emotional stakes for the novel’s final act, where the consequences of war and secrets will collide.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Becky become so upset when Cal suggests telling Tom and Skip the truth about his paternity?
Becky initially reacts because she feels Cal has no right to unilaterally decide to reveal the secret, especially while Skip is about to deploy. Later, after reflection, she realizes Cal may have a valid point, leading her to consult Felix. Her reaction highlights her protective instincts and the complexity of sharing a long-held secret during a crisis.

2. How does Skip’s enlistment change his relationship with his parents and with Tom?
Skip’s decision shocks Cal and Becky, who had not expected him to volunteer. It asserts his independence and maturity, but also introduces fear and distance. With Tom, the enlistment creates a philosophical divide (activism vs. military service), yet their bond remains strong; Tom visits and they joke together in the basement, showing that love can coexist with disagreement.

3. What does Everett’s letter to President Johnson reveal about his character and the novel’s political stance?
Everett’s letter shows his unflinching honesty, cynicism toward political leaders, and personal memory of the 1932 Bonus Army. It criticizes both the Vietnam War and the slow pace of civil rights, grounding the novel’s anti-war sentiment in lived experience. The fact that Cal mails the letter after Everett’s death suggests that Everett’s voice continues to influence the family.