Summary

Caesar – The narrative flashes back to the events of Section 1: the birthday celebration, the dance, and the beating. This time, the story is told from the point of view of Caesar: his admiration of Cora, and his growing belief that the only way he can escape safely is with her help. “She was a stray through and through, so far off the path it was like she’d already run from the place long ago” (235). Narration describes his anger at “the old white bitch” (Mrs. Garner) for misleading him about the possibilities for freedom; and his gratitude to Mr. Fletcher for encouraging him. He reads the book that Fletcher gave him (Gulliver’s Travels), “the white man in the book … [roving] from peril to peril, each new island a new predicament to solve before he could return home” (235). The chapter concludes with a restatement...