Chapter 72: After: Three – Guilt, Conspiracy, and the Northern Lights
⚠️ 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
Three days after the Oklahoma City bombing, Allison, Van, and Allie's parents watch live coverage from their bed in Greenland. Allie connects the attack to Horation Matthews, recalling his cryptic words about a "white army" and confederates moving even then. She strains to remember the names Matthews mentioned but cannot—months later she realizes they were "Bridges" and "Parker," aliases used by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Van resists her implication that the events are linked, choosing not to "know the odds." That night, Allie wakes to a flash of light, fearing King Sorrow has returned. Instead, she witnesses the aurora borealis—a spectacle of green, gold, and red—which she mistakes for the dragon at first but ultimately finds wonder in until dawn.
Key Events
- The Oklahoma City bombing is described: 168 dead, 19 children, the Murrah Building's front sheared away like a toy.
- Allison's parents (ex-cheerleader and former congressman) fly to Greenland and stay by her side, rarely letting go of her hand.
- Allie tells Van they must talk to Colin about what to do regarding Oklahoma, but Van dismisses the idea, saying they can only watch and feel sick.
- Allie presses Van on whether McVeigh and Matthews are connected, citing Matthews' threat about a "white army" and his mention of confederates.
- Van falls asleep; Allie feels intense love for him, comparing him to a stuffed rabbit needing mending.
- Allie recalls Matthews' mention of names but cannot remember them until months later when she sees "Bridges" and "Parker" in print—aliases of McVeigh and Nichols.
- That night, Allie sees a golden flash outside the window, panics thinking King Sorrow has returned, but finds the northern aurora instead, watching it until dawn.
Character Development
- Allison (Allie): Her guilt deepens as she internalizes the Oklahoma bombing, feeling it is "on her" too. She becomes obsessed with finding patterns connecting Matthews to larger acts of terror, yet she is unable to fully recall the names he gave her until much later. This shows her trauma and hypervigilance. Her love for Van grows as she sees his vulnerability in sleep, wishing to mend him.
- Van: He copes by avoidance—needing to get high and refusing to engage Allie's conspiracy theories. His line "sometimes it's better not to know the odds" reveals a survival instinct to block out overwhelming horror.
- Allie's parents: Their constant presence (especially her father holding her hand) underscores their protective role and the suffocating atmosphere of surveillance and care.
- Horation Matthews (mentioned): Even in death, his influence looms. Allie believes he would have aided McVeigh regardless of King Sorrow's shadow, and that he thrilled at the dragon's attention as validation.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Collective and personal guilt: Allie cannot separate herself from national tragedy. She thinks the bombing has "visited" King Sorrow and that somehow it is "on her." This blurs the line between victim and co-conspirator in her mind.
- Memory and suppressed knowledge: Allie can't retrieve the names Matthews mentioned until she sees them in print months later. This motif of delayed revelation suggests trauma can suppress crucial information, and that the truth surfaces only when the mind is ready.
- The aurora borealis as deceptive wonder: The "golden flash" terrifies Allie because she expects King Sorrow. Instead, she witnesses a natural marvel—the ouroboros-like northern lights. The aurora mirrors the dragon's fire but is harmless, suggesting that not every catastrophic sign is a threat, and that beauty can follow destruction. The description of the lights "collapsing like the Murrah building" ties the bombing directly to the natural phenomenon, layering trauma onto awe.
- The "white army" conspiracy: Matthews' chess metaphor—"you can't play chess with just the black pieces"—hints at a larger network of domestic terrorists. McVeigh and Nichols are placed as pawns in a game orchestrated by Matthews, though Allie never gets confirmation.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens the novel's scope from a supernatural horror to a political thriller grounded in real-world terrorism. By linking Horation Matthews to the Oklahoma City bombing, Joe Hill suggests that King Sorrow's influence extends beyond isolated individuals and may have catalyzed a wider network of white-nationalist violence. Allie's slow recovery of the names "Bridges" and "Parker" transforms her from passive survivor to reluctant investigator. The aurora finale offers a moment of respite and natural beauty, contrasting the man-made horror of the bombing. This chapter also solidifies Allie and Van's relationship—she loves him more for his fragility, even as he withdraws emotionally.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Allison feel the Oklahoma City bombing is somehow "on her" too?
Allie has been traumatized by her encounter with King Sorrow and Horation Matthews. She believes that Matthews' network—which she was unable to expose fully—may have aided McVeigh. Her guilt stems from her suspicion that she could have prevented the bombing if she had remembered the confederates' names sooner.
2. What are the names Allie eventually recalls, and how does she remember them?
Months later, she sees the names "Bridges" and "Parker" in print. These were aliases used by Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols. The names come back to her only when she encounters them in external text, not through her own memory.
3. How does the aurora borealis function symbolically in this chapter?
The aurora first terrifies Allie because it resembles King Sorrow's fire. But it transforms into a peaceful, beautiful display. The lights collapse like the Murrah building yet also unfurl like dragon wings, blending destruction and wonder. The aurora represents nature's indifference to human tragedy and offers Allie a moment of fleeting peace after horror.