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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Chapters 31 - 36
In Francie's thirteenth year, war breaks out in Europe and a horse named Drummer falls in love with Aunt Evy, shoeing her husband, Willie Flittman. Francie also begins a diary by attempting to document everything that happens in the news by creating fictional heroines. She becomes curious about sex, for now she is a teenager.
Topic Tracking: Love 7
Topic Tracking: Growing Up 11
A young girl is found murdered by a pervert, so Johnny gets worried and borrows a gun from his watchman friend at the bank. The family keeps it under his pillow. Francie walks home from school and is stopped in the stairway by the pervert with his pants open. He touches her leg and tries to do more with her, but before he can harm her, Katie grabs the gun and shoots him. Everyone is physically safe, although Francie wants her leg cut off where the pervert's privates touched her. Katie gets a pat on the back by the police. Sergeant McShane returns to her house to give her a reward for catching the man. He has had bad luck in marriage, too, and wants Katie. He says, "She'll be my wife, someday, God and she willin." Chapter 33, pg. 259.
A young Italian girl named Lucia gets into trouble. Sissy finds out that her parents are locking her in a dark room and only feeding her bread and water with hopes of the baby's death. Sissy feigns a pregnancy and takes the baby from Lucia as soon as she is born. Sissy's husband doesn't believe that Sissy is truly pregnant, but she holds to her story so well that everyone has to accept Sissy's story. She finally gets the child that she has yearned for so long. She names her Sarah, but everyone calls her Sissy.
Johnny keeps disappearing from the family, coming home late, and to their surprise, sober. He stops singing "Molly Malone" and loses his physical vigor and strength at age thirty-four. One evening, the family reminisces about Christmas pasts. Johnny comes home miserable because the Waiters Union fires him for being a drunk and a bum. The entire family grows worried, for he has been trying to stay sober for some time now. Three days later, Johnny dies. He leaves the house and is found unconscious and sick of pneumonia by Sergeant McShane. Katie stays with him at the hospital until he passes and then goes home to tell her children. "Frances stood numb. There was no feeling of surprise or grief. There was no feeling of anything. What mama just said had no meaning" Chapter 36, pg. 277. Katie buys an insurance package of $200 which all goes to funeral costs, mourning clothes, and the burial lot of land. She pries open the tin can to get the money to pay for the rest of it. The family now owns a bit of land, which was the purpose of the bank in the first place. Francie goes to the barbershop to collect her father's cup and Aunt Evy and Aunt Sissy comfort Katie. Katie is pregnant with a third child.
