Emily, Chapters 31 through 37 Summary

In chapter thirty-one, Emily invites Joseph to her home for Sunday dinner, an event that is serious in that it makes their relationship official. The women of her family take the opportunity to evaluate him, trying to guess how long he'll remain with Emily and whether he'll be good to her and responsible for their children. Joseph's life has had trials and it's noted that he'd been in France during the days of slavery and had been cheated by his brothers so that he lost what he believes should have been his inheritance. Emily says that the older women of the family, including Elisabeth, Suzette, Philomene and Bet, still live with the mentality of submission. This annoys Emily, who swears that she is going to grab onto all the happiness she can find.

In chapter thirty-two, Narcisse plans to...