Later Chapter 24 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

Liz Dutton drives Jamie to a grocery store where the body of Kenneth Therriault, alias Thumper, sits on a bench. The exit wound from his self-inflicted gunshot has grotesquely disfigured half his face. Jamie initially struggles to look at the corpse, vomiting from revulsion. Liz insists they must question the dead man to find the last bomb. Jamie forces himself to approach. When he asks about the bomb's location, Therriault first refuses to answer—a shocking departure from the usual compulsion of the dead to tell the truth. Jamie presses him, even swearing, and eventually Therriault reveals the bomb is at the King Kullen Supermarket in Eastport. When asked why he set all the bombs, Therriault replies simply, "Because I felt like it."

Key Events

Jamie and Liz find Thumper's dead body sitting on a bench outside a grocery store.
Liz forces Jamie to confront the corpse and ask about the final bomb.
Thumper initially resists telling the truth, surprising Jamie.
A woman with a baby reacts uneasily to the bench, sensing something wrong without seeing the corpse.
Jamie swears at Thumper and demands the bomb's location.
Thumper reveals the bomb is at the King Kullen Supermarket in Eastport.
Thumper explains his motive as pure whim ("because I felt like it").
The chapter ends with Liz and Jamie having gained critical information.

Character Development

Jamie Conklin: Shows growth in his ability to push past fear and revulsion. He successfully forces a dead person to answer a question, even when the dead person resists. His use of profanity marks a loss of innocence and a pragmatic determination to save lives.
Liz Dutton: Demonstrates ruthless focus. She drags Jamie into a traumatic situation without sympathy, prioritizing the mission over his comfort. Her earlier promise to stop using the nickname "Champ" is discarded, but she accepts Jamie's demand to stop.
Kenneth Therriault (Thumper): Despite being dead, he exhibits a will that partially resists the truth-compelling power. His final motive—pure caprice—paints him as a nihilistic figure without ideology or remorse.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Actually Evidenced Here

The Burden of the Gift: Jamie's ability forces him to confront horror and vomit; the power comes at a psychological cost.
Dead as Unreliable Informants: For the first time, a dead person tries to lie or withhold. This suggests limits or exceptions to the rule that the dead must tell the truth.
Moral Emptiness: Thumper's motive "because I felt like it" symbolizes motiveless evil, making him more terrifying than a terrorist with a cause.
Sensing the Supernatural: The baby's crying and the man who chooses another bench imply that ordinary people can unconsciously perceive the presence of the dead.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter escalates the stakes by confirming the existence of a final bomb and its location. It also deepens the rules of Jamie's power: dead people can resist answering, but Jamie can overcome that resistance. The revelation of Thumper's pure nihilism reinforces the novel's depiction of evil as random and senseless. With the target now known (King Kullen Supermarket), the plot moves toward a climax. Liz's relentless manipulation of Jamie raises ethical questions about using a child's gift for adult purposes.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Thumper's ability to resist telling the truth challenge Jamie's understanding of his power?
Jamie previously believed dead people always answered truthfully the first time. Thumper's refusal shows that the compulsion is not absolute; the dead can fight it, at least temporarily, which introduces a new element of risk and uncertainty.

2. What does the reaction of the baby and the man with the hot dog suggest about how ordinary people perceive ghosts?
Both react uneasily to the bench where Thumper sits, even though they cannot see his corpse. The baby cries, and the man chooses a different bench. This implies that humans have an unconscious awareness of death or supernatural presence, a motif common in horror fiction.

3. Why does Liz force Jamie to continue despite his distress, and how does this affect their relationship?
Liz believes lives are at stake and that Jamie's ability is essential. She prioritizes the mission over his emotional well-being, treating him as a tool. This strains their relationship: Jamie feels used and later demands she stop calling him "Champ."