Chapter 13 Summary

Tom confesses that his life did not truly begin until he could forgive his father and begin to understand where he was coming from. As teenagers, Tom and Savannah concur that they actually love their father in spite of his ferocious nature and his unsuccessful get-rich-quick schemes. Henry Wingo lacks the focus and rationality that Lila is so well endowed with. Where he looks for instant gratification with his plots to make money, Lila is both calculating and patient in her drives.

Henry tries farming and fails. He invests in ethnic greeting cards and fails. Then, he announces that he has bought the Esso gasoline station in Colleton. Although Henry is the best shrimper in South Carolina, neither he nor Lila can look upon his profession as something beautiful and something to be proud of. Luke, Tom and Savannah go out on the...