Buckeye Chapter 17 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

After abandoning his session with Becky Jenkins for seven months, Felix decides to let fate decide his return: he will go back only if he sees or thinks he sees Augie again. On Halloween he spots a man who briefly resembles Augie but is not him. In mid-November 1953 he returns to Taft Street. Becky senses a monkey spirit, which is accompanied by another spirit from the USS Teague—Augie. Felix panics and stops the session. Shortly afterward, Becky dreams of her deceased neighbor Mrs. Dodson, who tells her she is more than she thinks and that death is wonderful. In early December, Felix returns with a written message. He gives Augie’s full name, reads aloud his confession, and Becky relays Augie’s reply: everything is okay, Augie loves him, and Felix must keep swimming. Felix leaves transformed, accepting that his love for Augie will never go away, and feels he can now live as himself.

Key Events

Felix decides that if he thinks he sees Augie again, he will return to Becky Jenkins.
On Halloween, a man across the street resembles Augie but is not him; Felix still returns to Becky in November.
Becky senses a monkey spirit from Felix’s past and then a second spirit—Augie Varick.
Felix abruptly ends the session when Augie’s spirit wants him to speak first.
Becky dreams of Mrs. Dodson, who encourages her to realize her true capabilities and describes death as wonderful.
Felix returns in December, reads a written confession of love and regret for Augie.
Becky conveys Augie’s message: he loves Felix, everything is okay, and Felix must keep swimming.
Felix leaves the session feeling shaken but accepting; he buys a Christmas tree and imagines a path forward with his family.

Character Development

Felix: Moves from paralysis and evasion toward active confrontation with his grief. He writes down his feelings, speaks Augie’s name aloud, and afterward accepts that his love for Augie is a permanent part of him. This self-acceptance opens a possible future with Margaret and Tom.
Becky Jenkins: Deepens her understanding of her mediumship. The dream sequence shows her questioning her own limits, then receiving validation that she bridges worlds. She proves capable of handling highly personal messages without judgment.
Augie Varick (appears via Becky): His spirit is loving and reassuring. He wants Felix to know he is loved and to continue living.
Mrs. Dodson (appears in Becky’s dream): Acts as a spiritual mentor, urging Becky to see herself as more than a telephone operator.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fate and agency: Felix’s rule about seeing Augie is a way to hand control to fate, yet he still chooses to return. The line between destiny and personal decision blurs.
Grief as a broken bone: Felix compares the need to confront his pain to re-breaking a broken arm so it can heal correctly. The metaphor underlines the chapter’s focus on facing loss directly.
Spirit communication as a bridge: Becky sees herself as a telephone operator, but Mrs. Dodson reframes her as a world-bridger. The motif of crossing (the officer transferred by ropes between ships, the monkey crossing dimensions) reinforces connection across separation.
Acceptance of identity: The chapter ends with Felix feeling he might “fit into the world—as himself, among the living.” His love for Augie is no longer something to suppress but something that can coexist with his present life.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Seventeen is the emotional climax of Felix’s arc of grief. For the first time since the Teague sank, he speaks directly—through a medium—to Augie. The session and Becky’s subsequent dream validate the reality of his love and loss, and they allow Felix to stop running. The chapter also develops Becky’s character beyond a plot device, giving her a personal spiritual crisis and a resolution. The final image of Felix buying a Christmas tree signals a tentative movement toward hope and integration.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Felix mean when he compares returning to Becky Jenkins to the officer transferred between ships during a storm?
He imagines being strapped into a chair and pulled over dangerous waves—risking rebreaking his heart as the only way to heal. It captures his fear that contacting Augie will cause more pain, yet also his recognition that avoiding it has left him stuck.

2. Why does Becky dream about Mrs. Dodson, and what does the dream reveal about her own development?
The dream allows Becky to receive guidance without the formality of a session. Mrs. Dodson tells her she is “more than you think you are” and that she bridges worlds. This pushes Becky to reconsider her self-imposed limitations and to value her gift beyond merely connecting calls.

3. How does Augie’s final message—“you have to keep swimming”—resolve Felix’s internal conflict?
The phrase acknowledges that Felix is still in the water (grief, guilt) but that he is the one who must propel himself forward. Augie’s love and reassurance allow Felix to stop trying to repress his past; he accepts that the love will remain and that he can still live as himself among the living.