Chapter 20: Vernice – Sunday Engagement and Its Aftermath

Spoiler Notice

This analysis contains detailed discussion of events in Chapter 20 of Kin. If you have not read this chapter, proceed with caution.

Summary

The chapter opens with Vernice’s routine Sunday visits to Friendship Church with the McHenry family, followed by dinner at Veltre Circle. Mrs. McHenry keeps her longer each week, and one Sunday Vernice misses curfew. Franklin drives her back to Spelman, assuring her she won’t be punished and offering to tell the dorm mother she was with him. During the drive, he asks Vernice whether there is “potential for love” between them. He reveals his polio survival story—how he lived in hospitals, learned to breathe again, and faced the devil—and asks her to consider him despite his limp. Once at the gate, he circles her waist with his arm and gives her a business card reading William Franklin McHenry, Esq. Back in her dorm room, Joette is angry, accusing Franklin of marking Vernice. They argue, then Joette nuzzles Vernice and they settle into bed. Vernice reflects that she will have to marry someone someday.

Key Events

Vernice stays late at the McHenry home after Sunday dinner and realizes she will miss Spelman’s curfew.
Franklin drives her back to campus, telling her to claim she was with him to avoid punishment.
During the drive, Franklin asks Vernice about the potential for love and shares his experience of surviving polio.
Franklin parks, walks around the car—Vernice observes his gait—and opens her door.
He circles her waist with his arm, then presents his business card as a show of status.
Back at the dorm, Vernice finds the door unlocked and the lobby empty except for Joette.
Joette is upset, accusing Franklin of marking Vernice, and they argue before reconciling.
Vernice comments that she and Joette both must eventually marry men.

Character Development

Vernice shows growing awareness of her own desires and the constraints of her life. She listens to Franklin’s plea but also feels the weight of her mother’s fate and her relationship with Joette. She demonstrates steeliness and practicality.
Franklin McHenry is revealed as a man of patience and vulnerability. His polio story humanizes him and explains his deliberate movements. He is confident enough to ask for potential love without demanding immediate commitment.
Joette experiences jealousy and fear of losing Vernice. Her anger and subsequent relief show the depth of her attachment, but also her naivety about the world outside their dorm.
Mrs. McHenry remains in the background, described as loopy from sherry, reinforcing her role as a matriarch who enjoys company but is slightly reckless.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Potential vs. certainty: Franklin asks only for potential love, leaving room for uncertainty. Vernice’s internal debate about her father’s guilt revolves around whether anyone could have anticipated violence.
Disability and strength: Franklin’s polio survival is framed as a triumph over the devil. His limp becomes a mark of resilience rather than weakness.
Choice and confinement: Vernice is torn between her feelings for Joette and social pressure to marry a man. The Spelman curfew and dorm rules represent the narrow options available to young women.
Looking and being seen: Franklin asks Vernice to stare at his gait, and later Vernice feels Joette’s gaze on her body. Both scenes explore power in observation.
The “marked” body: Joette says Franklin marked Vernice like a dog, suggesting possession or visibility of intimacy.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the romantic triangle between Vernice, Franklin, and Joette. It also reveals Franklin’s backstory and reframes his disability as part of his character rather than a flaw. Vernice’s reflections on her father’s possible violence and her mother’s fragility connect the present to unresolved family history. The chapter illustrates how personal choices are constrained by social expectations, especially for Black women in the 1960s South.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Franklin mean when he says he is “the one that the devil tried to snatch”?
Franklin refers to surviving polio, which he overcame through the iron lung and relearning to breathe. He presents himself as a fighter who resisted death and therefore understands patience and the value of life.

2. Why is Joette so upset when Vernice returns to the dorm?
Joette is afraid of losing Vernice to Franklin. She feels she can smell him on Vernice and accuses him of “marking” her. Her anger masks vulnerability and jealousy over their secret relationship.

3. How does Vernice’s view of Franklin change during the chapter?
Initially she sees him as a polite escort, but his request for “potential love” and his open display of vulnerability (his limp, his story) make her reassess him. She watches him deliberately and feels both curiosity and attraction, though she remains guarded.