Summary

In Chapter 17, Thomas, John Cole, and Winona sleep in Joe’s hut but are bothered by the incessant mosquitoes and rain. The next day, they travel south from Indiana to Kentucky in Joe’s boat, then continue for two days on foot for through the forest. Thomas wears his dress, which he says “appeases me” (213). They see lynched black people along the way, but Winona is asleep as they pass by them. They come across a group of armed, menacing men who threaten to rob and attack them. Thomas and John Cole fire their guns, and the men retaliate. Winona - who, unbeknownst to Thomas and John Cole, also has a gun - shoots one of the men. In a matter of seconds, he fires back at them and she gets hit.

Thomas and John Cole quickly pick her up and flee the...