Chapter Nine: No Better Plan – 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
Richard Henry Pratt arrives in San Francisco with a cold. The next day he visits Charles Star’s shack at the back of an orchard. Unease grows as he approaches—the silence, his hand checking for his gun. An old, one-eyed, tailless dog watches him. Pratt knocks, then bangs on the door. When no one answers, he enters. He immediately knows he should not have come. Charles Star lies dead on the floor, blood pooled around him. Pratt steps in the blood as he moves toward a writing desk where he spots his own name in a typewriter. A bag of cash spills nearby. Pratt flees, the dog barking at him. Outside, the sun has set, and he coughs blood into his hand, feeling cursed.
The scene shifts to Pratt in a military hospital bed, staring out a window at San Francisco Bay. His son Mason stands beside him. Pratt mentally repeats “there was no better plan”—a phrase that encapsulates his lifelong justification for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. He believes he did all he could for both the Indians and the U.S. government, and that their failures are not his fault. He dies facing a white wall, with Mason present. His tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery reads: “Erected in loving memory by his students and other Indians.”
Key Events
- Pratt travels to San Francisco to find Charles Star, but discovers him dead on the shack floor.
- He sees cash near the body and his own name on a typewriter page, then steps in blood and leaves hastily.
- Pratt coughs blood, suggesting his illness has returned or worsened.
- In a military hospital, Pratt reflects on his life’s work while Mason watches him.
- He repeats “there was no better plan” as his final rationalization.
- Pratt dies; his tombstone is later inscribed by former students and other Native people.
Character Development
Richard Henry Pratt – In this chapter, Pratt confronts the literal and metaphorical mess he has made. Finding Charles Star dead forces him to acknowledge violence his assimilationist project invited, though he quickly retreats into self-justification. His dying thoughts fixate on the phrase “no better plan,” revealing a man unwilling to accept moral responsibility. The tombstone epitaph shows that even in death, his legacy is claimed—perhaps ironically—by the very people he sought to transform.
Charles Star – Although Charles Star appears only as a corpse, his death becomes a pivotal event. The cash and typewriter hint at a story left untold, reinforcing his role as a victim of forces Pratt helped set in motion.
Mason Pratt – Mason’s presence at his father’s bedside is understated. He serves as a witness to Pratt’s final moments, a quiet link between the personal and the historical.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The mantra “no better plan” – Pratt repeats this phrase like a shield against guilt. It encapsulates the delusion that his one-size-fits-all education scheme was the only possible path, dismissing any alternative or criticism.
The dying light – The golden light shining through the orchard before Pratt enters the shack is described as “a dying light, but a promise nonetheless.” It mirrors Pratt’s own fading life and his desperate hope that his legacy might still mean something.
Blood on hands – Pratt literally steps in Charles Star’s blood and later coughs his own blood. The image ties his physical deterioration to the violence he has caused, suggesting an inescapable stain.
The one-eyed dog – The mutilated dog watches Pratt but does not interfere. It evokes a natural world that has endured hardship and now remains indifferent to human schemes.
The tombstone inscription – The words “by his students and other Indians” carry deep irony. They can be read as a genuine tribute or as a haunting reminder that Pratt’s “students” were forced into his system. The phrase reclaims their agency in his memorial.
Why This Chapter Matters
“No Better Plan” concludes Pratt’s storyline in the novel, turning the historical figure into a complex symbol of well-intentioned destruction. His death does not resolve the tensions he created; instead, it underscores the enduring consequences of his policies. The chapter connects the 19th-century assimilation project directly to the present-day traumas explored elsewhere in Wandering Stars. By showing Pratt’s final rationalization and the ironic tribute on his grave, Orange invites readers to question whose stories get remembered and how.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Pratt repeat “there was no better plan” as he dies?
Pratt uses the phrase to absolve himself of responsibility for the failures of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and the suffering it caused. He convinces himself that he did everything possible within the limits of his era, thereby avoiding any need for regret or change.
2. What does the cash and typewriter in Charles Star’s shack suggest?
The cash hints at possible corruption or illicit dealings, while the typewriter with Pratt’s name suggests Charles Star was writing something about him. Together, they imply that Charles Star had uncovered or was documenting Pratt’s involvement in something dubious—a secret that died with him.
3. How does the tombstone epitaph complicate Pratt’s legacy?
The inscription “Erected in loving memory by his students and other Indians” can be read two ways: as a genuine expression of gratitude from those Pratt sought to “civilize,” or as a sardonic monument that reclaims native agency. It leaves his legacy ambiguous and forces readers to decide whether Pratt is remembered as a benefactor or a villain.