Chapter 4 Summary

Judge Lew Fielding calls for a recess and almost everyone there leaves the courtroom except Ishmael, who stays behind to sit and think. He remembers how he was at first unable to believe that Carl Heine had died and how he called around before he finally got the confirmation he feared from Horace Whaley, the county coroner. Then, as Ishmael's reflections move back further, he remembers his father Arthur, who ran The San Piedro Review before and after he fought in World War I. In fact, Arthur Chambers ran his newspaper very well and always managed to stay fair and accurate in his reporting. Though Ishmael tries to run the newspaper as well as his father did, Ishmael battles against the cynicism and disillusionment he felt after he returned from World War II with only one arm. Finally, Ishmael's musings move to the...