Chapter summaries Go as a River Shelley Read

Chapter 20: Seventeen – 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

In February 1955, Victoria Nash cares for the ailing Ruby-Alice, helping her to a chair by the window and feeding her oatmeal. She walks to town to buy supplies, hoping to avoid the hostile townspeople who believe she forced Ruby-Alice to sell her land. At Chapman’s grocery, Millie Dunlap corners Victoria and reveals that her brother Seth has been living near Montrose for nearly a year and is planning to visit Victoria about the government money. Stunned, Victoria runs home, expecting Seth to be inside. She finds Ruby-Alice safe but spends the rest of the day searching the farm in terror, locking doors and staying awake through the night.

The next morning, Victoria retrieves her father’s rifle and begins packing bushel baskets in case Seth arrives. While packing the porcelain crosses from the parlor shelf, she finds a handmade willow cross that Seth had given their mother as a child. She also finds the broken cross Seth had thrown at Cal. Holding both, Victoria momentarily recalls a side of her brother that sought love, but she drops them into the garbage.

When Seth knocks, Victoria meets him on the porch with the rifle. She orders him to sit. Seth, now bearded and scarred, insists he did not kill Wil—Forrest Davis did. He admits he was a fool and watched, too weak to intervene. Victoria confronts him about his failure to stop the murder. Seth tells her that Davis died in a fight out West. Victoria then offers Seth the land after she leaves, warning him to stay away until she is gone, and threatens to burn the orchard if he comes near. Seth leaves.

In the following days, Victoria works with a young man named Greeney and his students to dig up the peach trees and transport them to new land in Paonia. Ruby-Alice grows weaker and refuses food. Sensing her end, Victoria carries her to her own house among the pines, where Ruby-Alice dies peacefully with her dogs beside her. Victoria whispers, “Go as a river,” and feels her spirit rise.

At Ruby-Alice’s funeral, Victoria is surprised to see two dozen townsfolk come to pay their respects. They sing together, and many shake her hand. After the burial, Victoria tours her family plot and says goodbye. By mid-March, all the trees have been moved. Victoria loads her truck with the last of her belongings, the hens, and Ruby-Alice’s dogs. She stops at the end of the driveway to take one final look at her home, then drives away for good.

Key Events

  • Millie Dunlap tells Victoria that Seth is in Montrose and planning to visit about the money.
  • Victoria panics, retrieves her father’s rifle, and spends a sleepless night preparing.
  • While packing, she finds Seth’s childhood willow cross and the broken porcelain cross, then discards them.
  • Seth arrives; on the porch he reveals that Forrest Davis killed Wil.
  • Victoria threatens Seth with the rifle and agrees he can have the land after she leaves.
  • Victoria begins transplanting the peach trees with Greeney’s help.
  • Ruby-Alice weakens, is taken home, and dies peacefully.
  • Ruby-Alice’s funeral is attended by two dozen townspeople.
  • Victoria finishes the tree transplant and drives away from Iola.

Character Development

Victoria Nash – Once timid and afraid of her brother, Victoria now stands firm with a rifle, commanding Seth to sit and leave. She learns the truth about Wil’s death and processes her anger without violence. Her empathy flickers when she sees the vulnerability in Seth, but she remains resolute. She also matures through the ritual of transplanting the orchard and the act of letting Ruby-Alice go.

Seth Nash – Now twenty-two, Seth appears worn and scarred, smelling of cigarettes and whiskey. He claims to have changed, admitting his past stupidity and fault in Wil’s death. He expresses a desire to return to the land, but his motives remain tangled with greed and self-interest. His small gesture of apology as a child (the willow cross) hints at a buried capacity for love.

Ruby-Alice Akers – She dies peacefully, choosing to stay in her own home rather than be moved. Victoria’s whispered blessing and the presence of her dogs suggest a life lived on her own terms.

Millie Dunlap – Represents the town’s gossip and cruelty. She relishes sharing news of Seth and watching Victoria’s reaction.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • The rifle – A symbol of Victoria’s newfound power and willingness to protect herself. She hates the weapon but uses it to command respect.
  • Transplanting the orchard – A metaphor for uprooting one’s life and planting anew. Victoria sees her own survival mirrored in the trees’ endurance.
  • Crosses (porcelain and willow) – The broken cross represents family violence and loss; the willow cross stands for Seth’s rare attempt at reconciliation. Victoria discarding both signals her decision to leave the past behind.
  • “Go as a river” – A motif of release, flowing with life’s inevitability, and accepting death and change as natural.
  • Community funeral – Shows the townspeople’s ability to set aside gossip and honor tradition, revealing the complex bonds of small-town life.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks Victoria’s final confrontation with her brother and the truth about Wil’s murder. It closes her ties to Iola through Ruby-Alice’s death and the removal of the orchard. Seth’s revelation relieves Victoria of one burden (that her brother was the killer) but deepens her grief over Wil’s death and the town’s failure to seek justice. The successful transplant of the trees and the community’s show of respect at the funeral give Victoria a sense of closure. Her departure at the end symbolizes the beginning of a new life, free from the ghosts of Iola.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What news from Millie Dunlap changes Victoria’s state of mind?
Millie tells Victoria that Seth is living near Montrose and plans to visit her about the government money, which sends Victoria into panic and vigilance.

2. Why does Victoria bring her father’s rifle to the porch when Seth arrives?
She wants to show Seth she is no longer the frightened girl he once knew. The gun is her shield and her signal that she will defend herself and Ruby-Alice.

3. How does the town respond to Ruby-Alice’s funeral, and what does it reveal?
Two dozen townsfolk attend, sing, and offer condolences. It reveals that despite recent animosity, the community still honors its own and can set aside rumors in times of genuine loss.

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