Section 15 (pages 233-247) Summary

This concluding section begins with a narration of John's increasingly hostile feelings towards Gilead (see "Quotes", p. 234), and of how he came to still be there. His father and mother moved to the west coast to be with Edward, promised to move back, but never did. John describes how he felt abandoned by his father, a sense that increased when he received a letter from him speaking negatively about his decision to stay. Meanwhile, he describes how Jack is preparing to leave; he's received a letter from Della, and is planning to join her in Tennessee. Glory worries about the effect that Jack's departure will have on Boughton, leading John to a contemplation of how love, unreasonable and passionate, affects people. He describes his belief that Boughton, no matter how wonderful his other children are, will drop everything to...