Chapter 17: “The Bullfrog” — The Secret Under Chicken Hill
⚠️ 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
The chapter opens with the Ahavat Achim temple in turmoil. A giant bullfrog has been discovered in the women’s mikvah (ritual bath), outraging a wealthy new Hungarian congregant, Junow Farnok, who insists on being called Mr. Hudson. He offers $145 to build a new, larger mikvah, but Rabbi Karl Feldman is evasive about the water supply. At a meeting of the men’s group (chevry), Feldman reveals that the shul has always struggled to get water because the town refused to run pipes up Chicken Hill. The previous rabbi, Chona’s father, made an illegal connection to a public well near the Clover Dairy. The dairy is now owned by Gus Plitzka, the city council president, whose father had a long feud with Chona. Years ago, Chona wrote a letter to the newspaper criticizing old Mr. Plitzka, and Gus has used that grievance to block the temple’s water access. The illegal pipe was installed by a Black handyman named Shad Davis, now deceased. Mr. Hudson is disgusted by the involvement of a “Negro” and suggests moving the shul off the Hill. Irv Skrupskelis, defending Chona, criticizes Feldman for not visiting her in the hospital and for ignoring the circumstances of her illness.
Key Events
- The discovery of a bullfrog in the mikvah by Mr. Hudson’s wife.
- Mr. Hudson offers a large donation for a new mikvah.
- Rabbi Feldman reveals the temple has no legal water connection; they tap into a public well.
- The meeting attendees learn the well belongs to the Clover Dairy, newly purchased by Gus Plitzka.
- Feldman explains that Chona’s past letter to the editor offended the Plitzka family, creating a political barrier to city water.
- The illegal connection was made years ago by Shad Davis, a Black builder and father of “Fatty.”
- Mr. Hudson dismisses the “nigger” involvement and proposes relocating the shul.
- Irv angrily rebukes Feldman for not checking on Chona’s hospitalization.
Character Development
- Rabbi Karl Feldman: Revealed as indecisive and eager to please new donors; avoids difficult truths about the temple’s past and Chona’s health.
- Irv Skrupskelis: Emerges as a protector of Chona; his loyalty and anger show he cares more about people than money or status.
- Mr. Hudson (Junow Farnok): Embodies assimilationist ambition; his casual racism and focus on modernizing the shul clash with the community’s roots.
- Chona (mentioned): Even in absence, her past actions (the letter, hauling water) shape the present crisis, and her illness galvanizes Irv’s frustration.
- Shad Davis (deceased/mentioned): A background figure whose skilled but illegal labor allowed the temple to survive, now exposes the town’s racial divisions.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Water as a symbol of community and exclusion: The stolen water represents both survival and the hidden costs of building a community in a hostile town.
- The bullfrog as an unsettling omen: The frog disrupts the ritual purity of the mikvah and forces hidden problems to surface.
- Racial and ethnic prejudice: The chapter bluntly shows anti-Black racism within the Jewish community (Mr. Hudson’s slur) and antisemitism in Pottstown (Plitzka’s campaign against Jews).
- Inherited grievances: Chona’s teenage letter continues to harm the temple years later, illustrating how personal conflicts become institutional barriers.
- Class tension: The arrival of a wealthy congregant like Mr. Hudson threatens the older, poorer members’ way of operating.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter shifts the novel’s focus from Chicken Hill’s Black and Jewish residents to the internal dynamics of the synagogue. It reveals that the temple’s survival has depended on a secret, illegal arrangement with a Black family (the Davises), linking the two communities in ways the white congregants are reluctant to acknowledge. The bullfrog incident acts as a narrative catalyst, exposing the water theft and the Plitzka feud, which will likely drive conflict in coming chapters. It also deepens the mystery around Chona’s hospitalization by suggesting foul play (“I’m hearing a lot about it”). The chapter lays bare the racism and power struggles that exist even within marginalized groups, complicating any simple us-versus-them narrative.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Rabbi Feldman avoid telling Mr. Hudson the truth about the temple’s water supply?
Feldman is desperate for the donation and embarrassed by the illegal connection. He also hopes the problem will resolve itself, reflecting his passive leadership and fear of conflict with both the wealthy new member and the established congregants.
2. How does the Plitzka family’s grudge against Chona affect the entire synagogue?
Old Mr. Plitzka refused to sell well water, so Chona’s father had the illegal tap installed. Gus Plitzka, the son, used Chona’s letter of complaint in his political campaign against Jews, and as city council president he blocks all attempts to run legal water lines to the shul. The family feud thus becomes a systemic obstacle for the congregation.
3. What does Mr. Hudson’s reaction to Shad Davis’s involvement reveal about his character and the era?
His use of a racial slur and his desire to “move the shul off the Hill” show his willingness to sever ties with the Black community that helped build the temple. It reflects the era’s pervasive racism and the divide between recent, upwardly mobile immigrants and older residents who forged cross-racial bonds.