Chapter 2: Childhood's End Summary and Analysis

Social, economic and cultural opportunities begin to open up, especially for blacks, when World War II officially breaks out in December 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. A fledgling arms race begins in a quest for the A-Bomb. As Albert Einstein reportedly said to President Roosevelt, "What if the Germans got one first?" The Manhattan Project spawns a country-wide surge in the need for the plants necessary in the search for fissionable materials. A large diffusion plant is being constructed in Nashville creating an urgent need for laborers and other workers. Tina's parents travel to Nashville to seek employment at the plant, leaving Alline with their maternal grandmother Mama Georgie, and Tina with their paternal grandmother, Mama Roxanna. Zelma and Richard live in Knoxville for two years, away from their daughters.

Tina doesn't like staying with her...