Chapter 74: Henry in the Morning – 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
Henry sits alone in the guest cottage at dawn, watching for Ebby to emerge from the main house. His camera lies unused—a rare stillness for a man who usually greets the morning with photography. He has only minutes before the airport driver arrives. Henry reflects on the past ten months of separation and realizes he never considered that Ebby could have been pregnant before their wedding. A memory surfaces of his mother’s thinly veiled racist concern about Ebby’s mental health, specifically the claim that women of color are more prone to PTSD. Henry defended Ebby, pointing out that her family’s resources put her in a different category, but the exchange left a wound. Last night, Ebby finally told him about her miscarriage, and Henry admitted his own secret fear about the old jar. They grew closer than ever—physically and emotionally—but in the end Ebby asked him to leave, locked the kitchen door, and refused to answer when he knocked. Now, as the limo arrives, Henry pockets a lip balm belonging to Avery before discarding it in the trash. He understands Ebby needs time, but he is determined to make amends once he returns to Connecticut.
Key Events
- Henry waits at the cottage window for Ebby to come outside, but the house remains dark.
- He recalls a conversation in which his mother argued that Ebby’s background as a woman of color makes her more susceptible to PTSD, implying she would be an unsuitable mother.
- Henry reflects that he never imagined Ebby could be pregnant so early in their relationship.
- The previous night: Ebby confessed she had a miscarriage; Henry confessed his anxiety about the jar called “the grandfather’s spirit.”
- After a night of intimacy, Ebby asked Henry to leave. She turned the lock and switched off the light when he tried to re-enter.
- Henry finds a small item belonging to Avery near the bed, holds it to his nose briefly, then tosses it into a wastebasket.
- The airport car arrives, forcing Henry to depart without seeing Ebby again.
Character Development
Henry: This chapter reveals Henry’s internal conflict between his genuine love for Ebby and the corrosive influence of his mother’s prejudice. He is introspective, acknowledging that he failed to consider Ebby’s possible pregnancy. His decision to throw away Avery’s belonging suggests a small act of severance—a symbolic letting-go of the past. Yet his lingering hope (“he’ll find a way to make it up to her”) shows he still believes a future is possible.
Ebby (off-screen): Though she does not appear directly, Ebby’s actions dominate the chapter. Her refusal to open the door after such vulnerability underscores her need for boundaries. The miscarriage revelation reframes her earlier distance as rooted in grief, not just anger.
Henry’s mother: Even in memory, she embodies racial microaggression wrapped in pseudo-psychology. Her “studies” about PTSD in women of color reveal a bias that Henry challenges but cannot fully erase.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The unused camera: Henry’s identity as a photographer is suspended. His lack of shooting mirrors his inability to capture or control the situation with Ebby.
- The lip balm of Avery: A small, tangible reminder of Ebby’s other relationship. Henry’s action in throwing it away signals his desire to erase that presence, however futile.
- The locked door: Ebby’s turning of the lock and dousing the light represent emotional closure after a moment of extreme openness. She chooses solitude over continued vulnerability.
- Racial bias and motherhood: Henry’s mother frames Ebby’s trauma as a racial liability for potential children. The novel questions how family history and societal prejudice converge on women of color.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 74 is the pivot between confrontation and separation. Henry and Ebby have finally spoken the truths that have haunted them—the miscarriage and the jar—yet this honesty does not lead to reconciliation. Instead, Ebby pushes him away, highlighting that knowledge alone cannot rebuild trust. The chapter also exposes the quiet racism that has shadowed Henry’s family, complicating his love for Ebby. By ending with Henry’s departure, the novel sets up a period of reckoning: Henry must confront his mother’s influence and his own assumptions before he can return.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does Henry recall about his mother’s comments regarding Ebby?
Henry remembers his mother raising the idea that women of color are more likely to suffer from PTSD, using Ebby’s brother’s murder as evidence. Henry rebutted that Ebby had all the advantages of wealth and education, but his mother persisted, and she gave him the silent treatment afterward. The exchange reveals her racial bias disguised as concern.
2. What secret did Ebby reveal to Henry the night before this chapter?
Ebby told Henry that she had a miscarriage early in their marriage—a fact she had kept hidden for months. This revelation explains much of her emotional distance and changes Henry’s understanding of their past.
3. Why does the chapter emphasize that Henry “has only a few more minutes”?
The countdown creates dramatic tension and emphasizes Henry’s helplessness. He cannot force Ebby to see him; he can only wait and eventually leave. The ticking clock mirrors the irreversible loss of time and the failure of their one night of communion to mend their relationship.