Summary

The Prologue begins with a quote from the play “Ti-Jean and His Brothers” by Black playwright Derek Walcott. In the first section of the Prologue, Baines – who is head of the Angels of Mercy Hospital – comes to Rudy, seeking a human heart for transplant into Premier Uttley. Baines explains to the cynical Rudy that Uttley is refusing a pig’s heart, which is what is being offered by the Porcine Harvest Program, because she (Uttley) is campaigning for re-election on the idea that animal-to-human transplant is immoral. Baines adds that her point seems to be resonating with voters, adding that “Somebody’s quietly going to a lot of trouble to have the hospitals procure a human heart for her,” and that “it might bring Angel of Mercy good business if we’re the ones to pull it off” (3). The narration suggests that...