Chapter 4, Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 4: In 1927 Montpelier, Indiana, people are struggling pre-Depression because the oil wells have dried up. Walker's Grandma Nellie is raising seven children and is a lively soul. Grandpa Walker (aka H.T.) is by contrast a stern and brooding man, who does various odd jobs including mortuary services and frame-making in an attempt to feed his family. The eldest boy in the family, Garnel, is deaf. No one else in the family history is deaf, and H.T. swears the boy acquired and was not born with deafness, as there is a stigma attached to genetic deafness. Garnel throws temper tantrums and is a hard boy to deal with. Much later, Gale (Walker's father) comes along, and has the opposite personality of Garnel.

Gale is nicknamed "Puff" for being a fat baby. Only gradually does the family realize the...