The Uncalled · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Uncalled by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
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Chapter 1
I
In the early morning in the impoverished section of Dexter, Ohio, a group of women gather at the home of the recently deceased Margaret Brent. After much bickering about who should stay to prepare the body, Miss Hester Prime and Mrs. Melissy Davis remain to lay out the corpse and clean the squalid room. They wake Margaret's young son Freddie, who learns of his mother's death and weeps. Mrs. Davis takes Freddie home for breakfast, leaving Miss Prime alone with her thoughts.
Chapter 2
II
Margaret Brent's funeral is held in a cold, fireless room. The community gathers, mostly women, and engages in gossip and judgment about her life and backsliding. The Rev. Mr. Simpson preaches a noisy, inconsequential sermon, and Brother Hodges offers a tender prayer. After the service, the coffin is borne to the graveyard, and Mrs. Warren stays behind to search for valuables, taking the crape and covering from the mirror.
Chapter 3
III
The women of Dexter gather at Mrs. Davis's home the day after Margaret Brent's funeral to decide the fate of her orphaned son, Fred. After discussing various options and rejecting the orphan asylum, Miss Hester Prime unexpectedly volunteers to take the boy, despite her lack of experience with children. Fred is reluctant to leave Mrs. Davis, but ultimately goes with Miss Prime, prompting mixed reactions among the women.
Chapter 4
IV
Miss Prime takes in five-year-old Freddie Brent after his mother's funeral. The chapter describes her prim cottage, her rigid personality, and her struggle to care for the child. Eliphalet Hodges visits, and they discuss the town's gossip and Freddie's future.
Chapter 5
V
After Margaret Brent's death, the community gossips about the fate of her son Freddie. Miss Hester Prime reveals to Mrs. Sallie Martin that she intends to raise the child herself, while Eliphalet Hodges also shows interest in the boy, buying him toys and candy, leading to a tense exchange with Miss Prime about how to properly raise a child.
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