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The Marrow of Tradition · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Epigraph

    The epigraph quotes Charles Lamb's poem praising a book that captures the essence of tradition, setting a reflective tone for the novel.

  2. Chapter 2

    The Marrow of Tradition

    The chapter explores the deep-seated racial tensions and the legacy of slavery in the post-Reconstruction South, focusing on the intertwined lives of white and Black families in Wellington. It introduces key characters and sets the stage for the conflicts that will drive the narrative, including the birth of Dodie Carteret and the simmering political conspiracy among white supremacists.

  3. Chapter 3

    At Break of Day

    Major Carteret anxiously awaits the birth of his child as his wife Olivia suffers through a difficult labor. Dr. Price and Mammy Jane attend to her. Mammy Jane recounts the family history, including the story of Julia Brown and her daughter Janet, who is Olivia's half-sister and married to Dr. Miller. The child, a boy, is born at dawn, and both mother and child survive. Mammy Jane notices a mole on the child that she believes portends bad luck.

  4. Chapter 4

    II: The Christening Party

    The Carterets host a christening party for their baby, Dodie, with close family and friends. The gathering includes old Mr. Delamere, his grandson Tom Delamere, Mrs. Ochiltree, and Lee Ellis. Conversations touch on race, loyalty, and social standing, with Mrs. Ochiltree's blunt remarks causing tension. Tom later leaves for the Clarendon Club, where he wins at cards.

  5. Chapter 5

    The Editor at Work

    Major Carteret, now a father, returns to his office and is visited by General Belmont and Captain McBane, who share his outrage at the political and social advances of Black citizens in Wellington. They conspire to take action to restore white supremacy, setting the stage for a coordinated movement.

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  1. Chapter 6IV: Theodore Felix
  2. Chapter 7A Journey Southward
  3. Chapter 8VI: Janet
  4. Chapter 9VII: The Operation
  5. Chapter 10VIII: The Campaign Drags
  6. Chapter 11IX: A White Man's "Nigger"
  7. Chapter 12X: Delamere Plays a Trump
  8. Chapter 13XI: The Baby and the Bird
  9. Chapter 14XII: Another Southern Product
  10. Chapter 15XIII: The Cakewalk
  11. Chapter 16XIV: The Maunderings of Old Mrs. Ochiltree
  12. Chapter 17XV: Mrs. Carteret Seeks an Explanation
  13. Chapter 18XVI: Ellis Takes a Trick
  14. Chapter 19The Social Aspirations of Captain McBane
  15. Chapter 20Sandy Sees His Own Ha'nt
  16. Chapter 21XIX: A Midnight Walk
  17. Chapter 22XX: A Shocking Crime
  18. Chapter 23XXI: The Necessity of an Example
  19. Chapter 24XXII: How Not to Prevent a Lynching
  20. Chapter 25XXIII: Belleview
  21. Chapter 26XXIV: Two Southern Gentlemen
  22. Chapter 27The Honor of a Family
  23. Chapter 28The Discomfort of Ellis
  24. Chapter 29The Vagaries of the Higher Law
  25. Chapter 30XXVIII: In Season and Out
  26. Chapter 31XXIX: Muttering of the Storm
  27. Chapter 32XXX: The Missing Papers
  28. Chapter 33XXXI: The Shadow of a Dream
  29. Chapter 34XXXII: The Storm Breaks
  30. Chapter 35XXIII: Into the Lion's Jaws
  31. Chapter 36XXXIV: The Valley of the Shadow
  32. Chapter 37XXXV: “Mine Enemy, O Mine Enemy!”
  33. Chapter 38Fiat Justitia
  34. Chapter 39The Sisters