Chapter Twenty-Five: Finding Purpose Through Advocacy
⚠️ 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 morning after Frankie moves into her grandmother's bungalow, she finds a closet full of clothes and drives to her parents' house. Her mother, Elizabeth "Bette" McGrath, is recovering from a stroke and uses a walker. Frankie helps her to an appointment at the medical center in San Diego, where Bette confesses she is scared—a word Frankie has never heard her use. While waiting, Frankie sees an article about POWs still in Vietnam and remembers the League of Families. She calls the organization, visits their bare-bones office, and meets Rose Contreras, who invites her to join the Letter-Writing Committee. Frankie becomes obsessed with writing to politicians and media figures, while also caring for her mother's rehabilitation. By late June 1971, two months after moving home, Frankie has settled into a routine. She is invited to help at a shopping‑center booth selling POW bracelets, where she meets Joan, a POW wife. While staffing the table, Frankie encounters Henry Acevedo, the psychiatrist from the Washington, D.C., protest, who is with his nephew Arturo. Henry leaves a donation. Later, Frankie receives a letter from her friend Ethel, who has eloped with Noah and is now Mrs. Noah Ellsworth.
Key Events
- Frankie finds her mother waiting with a walker; Bette admits she is scared during the drive to her medical appointment.
- Frankie visits the League of Families office and joins the letter‑writing effort.
- She writes to numerous high‑profile figures, including Kissinger, Nixon, and Cronkite.
- Frankie helps at a POW‑awareness booth in a shopping center; she sells a bracelet to a woman who initially compares POWs to Lieutenant Calley.
- Henry Acevedo and his nephew Arturo stop by the booth; Henry donates forty dollars.
- Frankie receives word that Ethel has eloped with Noah.
Character Development
Frankie McGrath – After the chaos of war and her brother’s death, Frankie finds a new sense of purpose. Her obsessive letter‑writing and willingness to staff the booth show her channeling grief into activism. She also demonstrates patience and compassion by caring for her mother without complaint. Her angry outburst at a protester (“Freedom isn’t free, asshole”) reveals lingering combat‑related intensity, but she quickly recovers and adopts a calmer approach.
Bette McGrath – For the first time, Bette appears vulnerable and afraid. Her stroke has stripped away much of her formidable composure, and she relies on Frankie for physical and emotional support. This role reversal deepens Frankie’s developmental arc from daughter to caregiver.
Henry Acevedo – Re‑appears as a peace activist who is critical of the military yet clearly cares for his nephew. His lingering attention to Frankie hints at a future connection. Joan’s comment (“If a man that foxy looked at me the way he just looked at you”) implies mutual attraction, though Frankie dismisses the idea.
Joan – A POW wife whose husband has been missing since 1969. She represents the thousands of families waiting for news, and her weary but determined attitude underscores the cost of war on the home front.
Ethel – Through her letter, Ethel shows that life continues outside of war’s shadow. Her elopement contrasts with Frankie’s solitary routine and suggests that women can choose different paths to happiness.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Activism as healing – Frankie’s letter‑writing becomes a coping mechanism. The chapter frames advocacy as a way to transform helplessness into action, giving her a reason to get out of bed and a way to honor the fallen.
The POW bracelet – The nickel‑plated bracelets serve as tangible symbols of commitment. Wearing one “until he comes home” makes the war personal and keeps the captive soldier present in public consciousness.
Caregiving and vulnerability – Bette’s stroke forces Frankie into a nurturing role. The scene in the car, where Bette grips the console and murmurs “Scared,” reverses the mother‑daughter dynamic and highlights how war and illness reshape family relationships.
Generational conflict – Henry’s anti‑war stance and Arturo’s decision to attend the Naval Academy represent the rift between those who oppose the war and those who still see military service as honorable. Frankie and Joan bridge this divide by defending the soldiers without endorsing the war itself.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter Twenty‑Five marks a turning point in Frankie’s civilian reintegration. Instead of retreating into isolation, she volunteers for a cause larger than herself. The chapter introduces the real‑world League of Families and the POW‑bracelet movement, grounding the novel in historical fact. It also plants the seeds of a future relationship with Henry Acevedo and shows Frankie beginning to build a post‑war identity that combines her nursing compassion with political engagement.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Frankie become obsessed with writing letters to politicians and journalists?
Frankie is grappling with two losses: the death of her brother Finley and the lingering trauma of her own service. Writing gives her a structured outlet for her grief and anger. It also allows her to feel productive while sitting in waiting rooms during her mother’s therapy sessions. The letters connect her to a community of activists and provide a sense of agency in a situation (the POW crisis) that otherwise feels hopeless.
2. How does Frankie handle the woman who compares POWs to Lieutenant Calley?
Frankie initially feels angry but deliberately “stays calm” and chooses to educate rather than argue. She explains that the prisoners were ordinary soldiers who served their country, not war criminals. Frankie personalizes the issue by pointing to Joan, whose husband is imprisoned, and the woman eventually buys a bracelet. This dialogue shows Frankie maturing as an advocate who can defuse hostility without compromising her principles.
3. What does Ethel’s elopement reveal about Frankie’s current life?
Ethel’s impulsive marriage contrasts sharply with Frankie’s “steady routine” of no social life and no dates. Frankie claims love is the last thing on her mind, yet Ethel’s news may force her to consider what she truly wants. The letter also underscores that women in the novel are forging unconventional paths—eloping instead of planning a traditional wedding—which mirrors Frankie’s own unconventional choices after the war.