Buckeye Chapter Twenty‑Two 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

One month after Skip’s death, Becky encounters two women in town who offer condolences; she soon stops leaving the house and cancels her medium sessions. She tries to reach Skip through her gifts but cannot cry enough to concentrate. Felix learns of Skip’s death from a sobbing Tom and drives to the Jenkins house, where he finds Becky wearing Skip’s sweatshirt. He becomes a steady presence, bringing groceries, takeout, and company. Cal buys a cemetery plot next to Everett’s and a marker; he and Becky hold a ritual there that offers no comfort. Tom delays his visit until after his May graduation, majoring in communications. When he finally sees the Jenkinses, he drives them to the grave marker and struggles to talk to them. Becky, frustrated that she has not heard from Skip, wonders if the dead only speak when they have something to convey. Cal worries that Becky might be hiding contact from him; five months in, he asks directly, and she says no—not yet. The year 1968 becomes a backdrop: the Tet Offensive, Johnson’s withdrawal, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago. Tom appears briefly on CBS during the protests. He takes a job as an overnight sound engineer in Toledo and lives with a couple who use psychedelics, all while fearing the draft.

Key Events

A woman stops Becky outside the library to offer condolences; later Jean Carhart asks Becky to check on her son William.
Becky stops holding séances, cancels her advertisement, and avoids leaving the house.
She attempts to reach Skip alone but cannot stop crying enough to focus.
Felix learns of Skip’s death from Tom, then visits the Jenkins home and begins bringing groceries regularly.
Cal buys a cemetery plot and a marker; he and Becky stand before the grass but find the ritual unhelpful.
Tom visits the Jenkinses after graduation; he drives them to the marker and later returns alone to sit by the grave.
Five months after Skip’s death, Cal finally asks Becky if she has heard from him; she says no.
National events unfold: the Tet Offensive, Johnson declining reelection, the assassinations of King and Kennedy, and the Chicago DNC protests.
Tom joins the Chicago protest, gets into a physical altercation, and appears for an instant on CBS.
The chapter ends with Tom working overnight at a Toledo radio station and worrying about the draft.

Character Development

Becky Jenkins is overwhelmed by grief. She abandons her medium work and feels protective of the dead in a way she never did before. Her inability to contact Skip adds another layer of pain, yet she clings to the hope that he might still speak. Cal Jenkins struggles with guilt, wondering if he drove Skip away by pressuring him. His body shakes when he cries, and he eventually asks the question that frightens him most. Felix reveals his loyalty through practical, unassuming acts—delivering eggs, watching television with them, checking their fridge—and does not raise their troubled history. Tom Salt is caught between his own anger at the war and his awkwardness with the grieving parents. He visits Skip’s grave alone, picks at the grass, and lets time pass there. His brief appearance on television during the Chicago protests places him in the larger anti‑war movement.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

The inadequacy of ritual. The marker and the ceremony at the cemetery do nothing to help Cal and Becky process their loss. Tom notices that they share a sundae without tasting it. Grief as isolation. Becky’s face becomes a “wooden mask that leaks water”; the Jenkinses stop noticing when the other is crying. The world outside—the war, the assassinations—only sharpens their sense of being cut off. The political and the personal intertwined. Every national tragedy—Tet, King’s murder, Kennedy’s murder—feels viscously attached to Skip’s death. The news turns on the lights in the part of their minds where that loss crouches. Support as quiet presence. Felix does not solve the grief; he simply shows up, brings food, and lets the Jenkinses know they are not alone.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the novel’s exploration of grief after a war death, showing how a family can be hollowed out while the world keeps turning. It also connects the Jenkinses’ private tragedy to the broader upheaval of 1968—the Tet Offensive, the King and Kennedy assassinations, the Chicago protests—making the personal feel political and the political feel painfully personal. Tom’s trajectory, from college student to anti‑war activist, sets up future tensions around the draft and his role in the story.

Study Questions and Answers

How do Cal and Becky’s ways of grieving differ, and what does that reveal about their relationship at this point?
Cal tries to hold his tears in, which causes physical pain, while Becky cries quietly and can go about daily tasks while weeping. They give each other space even though that space is the last thing they need. The difference reflects a silent, protective distance—neither wants to burden the other, but the lack of open discussion makes the grief harder to bear.
Why does Felix bring groceries and company to the Jenkinses, and what does Bishop’s question—“what would the presumption be—that they need to eat?”—tell us about Felix’s character?
Felix recognizes that grief can make people forget basic needs; his practical help is an act of love that does not require words. Bishop’s question cuts through Felix’s hesitation, showing that Felix is learning to act without overthinking—a small but significant shift for a character who has often been cautious in his relationships.
How does the chapter use national events of 1968 to underscore the Jenkinses’ personal loss?
The Tet Offensive leaves Skip and thousands of other Americans dead; Johnson looks “vacuumed out”; King and Kennedy are murdered. Each event reinforces the sense that the world is “scraping at the windows.” The Jenkinses sometimes imagine themselves pushing off in a dinghy, watching the news like flames on a distant shore—an image of how a personal tragedy can make the larger world feel both unbearable and unreal.

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