Part II: Sleeper's Wake; Chapters 3-4 Summary

Chapter Three begins to tell the story of Jay's transformation to the driven and focused Jerome Johnson to whom the Avey Johnson she no longer recognized in the mirror was the dutiful wife. He started almost right away working two jobs, bringing her home the unopened second paychecks to serve as proof to her that he really was working them both. He walked tirelessly through town as a door-to-door salesman of sundry things, and paid for a course in accounting with his GI benefits, studying in every waking moment. He dressed up to look for jobs only to be met with sorry excuses he knew to be excuses, and still dutifully told Avey all about his days. When he finally concludes that the last possible obstacle is a college degree, he gets one...