Chapter 47 (Chapter 45): Polly's Fear and Sadie's Curiosity

⚠️ 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

Polly is cleaning dishes after lunch when she hears a knock at the front door. She is still shaken from earlier that day, when she discovered Tegan had started a small fire in the basement using a hidden lighter. Polly had confiscated Tegan’s phone and pepper spray but missed the lighter, and she now realizes Tegan cannot be left alone. The knock turns out to be Sadie, the young neighbor girl who lives with her neglectful father, Mitch. Sadie explains that the school bus did not come because of snow, and she has run out of crackers – the only food she had left at home. Polly invites her in, makes sandwiches, and fetches Oreos from the pantry. While reaching for the cookies, Polly pauses to touch a teddy bear her husband Hank bought for a baby they have been unable to conceive. When she returns to the kitchen, Sadie is gone and the basement door is wide open.

Key Events

Polly reflects on Tegan’s fire stunt and resolves to watch her more carefully.
A knock at the door makes Polly nervous; she fears Dennis Werner or the police.
Sadie arrives, hungry and poorly dressed, explaining the school bus did not come.
Polly prepares two bologna sandwiches and then goes to get Oreos.
In the pantry, Polly sees the teddy bear Hank bought, symbolizing her longing for a child.
Polly returns to find Sadie missing and the basement door open.

Character Development

Polly: Her anxiety deepens as she realizes Tegan’s capacity for sabotage. Polly’s maternal instincts are split between her desire to protect the unborn baby (Tegan’s child) and her pity for Sadie. Her brief contemplation of the teddy bear reveals her deep, unresolved grief over infertility. Polly’s decision to leave Sadie alone in the kitchen, even for a moment, shows a fatal lapse in judgment that may endanger her whole plan.
Sadie: Although she appears only briefly, Sadie’s desperate hunger and her casual mention of the bus’s failure highlight the ongoing neglect she suffers at home. Her disappearance into the basement (implied) puts her directly in harm’s way, turning her from a pathetic victim into a potential threat to Polly’s secret.
Tegan (mentioned): Off-page for the whole chapter, Tegan’s earlier act of lighting a fire establishes her as resourceful and desperate. She does not need to appear to dominate Polly’s thoughts.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fire as danger and rebellion: Tegan’s fire is a small but real act of defiance, and Polly’s fear of an alarm being triggered underscores how fragile her control is.
The teddy bear: This unused gift represents Polly’s shattered dream of motherhood and her current fixation on claiming Tegan’s baby. The bear’s perfect condition mirrors Polly’s obsessive need for a perfect outcome.
Hunger and neglect: Sadie’s empty pantry and her ravenous eating contrast with Polly’s abundant kitchen, drawing a parallel between Sadie’s physical neglect and Tegan’s captivity.
The open door: The final image of the basement door left ajar creates a moment of immense suspense, symbolizing the breach of Polly’s tightly controlled world and the collapse of her careful plans.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the narrative. Polly’s control, which she has been meticulously building, cracks in a single moment of inattention. Sadie’s presence – a character previously shown as pitiable – now threatens to expose the basement hostage. Polly’s inner conflict between her genuine kindness toward Sadie and her ruthless need to protect her secret makes her a more complex antagonist. The chapter also deepens the motif of entrapment: Sadie is trapped in poverty and neglect, Tegan is physically locked in the basement, and Polly is trapped by her own desperate longing for a child.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Polly’s reaction to finding the lighter reveal about her character? Polly is furious with herself for missing the lighter, but she does not express remorse for holding Tegan captive. Instead, she treats Tegan’s action as a threat to Polly’s own safety, showing that she sees the captive entirely as a vessel for the baby, not as a person. This marks Polly as self-absorbed and increasingly dangerous.

2. How does the teddy bear function as a symbol in this chapter? The teddy bear is the “first gift” Hank bought for the child Polly never conceived. Polly strokes it while thinking about how close she now is to having a baby. The bear represents her longing, but also her denial – the bear remains pristine and unused, just as her future as a mother remains unrealized unless she steals Tegan’s child.

3. Why is the open basement door at the end of the chapter so significant? The basement door leads directly to Tegan’s prison. Sadie, an innocent child, may have walked down those stairs. If she sees Tegan, Polly’s crime will be exposed. The open door signifies the loss of Polly’s control and sets up the possibility that Sadie – not the police or Dennis – will be the one to unravel the entire scheme.