Chapter 4 Summary and Analysis

Florence's family is evicted from the apartment on Park Road in January 1941 because the structure is condemned, so Herb rushes out, returning two hours later with his usual serenity because he has signed a lease on a two bedroom apartment around the corner at 1020 Monroe since it has an alcove off the master bedroom. Frazzled by the noise from the streetcars which can be heard through their open windows, Florence's family vacations at Colonial Beach in August with their extended family, including Evelyn whose presence was "destined to make the summer of 1941 a season that would live in imbecility" (pg. 51.) Evelyn throws herself at Granny, hysterical that the doctor thinks she is mentally defective, and Granny insists Evelyn just has a descending womb like all of the Upton women. However, Herb believes "she's suffering from historical displacement brought on by her...