Summary

In Chapter 22, the more time Tiller spent at the Kappagoda's, the more he alternated between hours with Drum and hours with Constance. The exchanges made Tiller feel depraved. Drum was consumed by his attempts at wellness, and Constance by loneliness.

One day, Chilies announced he was Tiller's new boss, and led him to the kitchen. Tiller was confused. In the kitchen, Chilies made Tiller dress in a skimpy undergarment. Then he and Pruitt had to get inside a life-size mortar. Pruitt told Tiller they were in "The devil's workshop" (399).

In Chapter 23, Tiller's "special sentence" was to make curry paste with his body inside the giant mortar (400). Chilies and his workers berated and abused Tiller and Pruitt. The work was painful and inescapable. One day after making several batches, Constance came in. She was unsympathetic to Tiller’s discomfort. She then blamed Tiller because...