Chapter 10 Summary

The narrator talks about the nature of pain, how she thought she understood the relationship between Violet, Joe, and Felice, and now is not so sure. Felice walks slowly back from the store, nobody's hammer, alibi, or toy. Alice Manfred moves back to Springfield to work for a white woman she knows.

Joe gets a job at a speakeasy called Paydirt, so he can spend the afternoon hours with Violet. Sometimes after a hair appointment, he meets her at the drug store for a malt. After supper, they play poker or listen to Malvonne gossip, so she can pretend she did not betray both of them. They take the new bird Violet bought on the roof to listen to the music. At night, Joe and Violet curl up together and whisper under the covers.

Chapter 10 Analysis

Through the narrator's eyes, the reader understands...