Chapter 9 Summary

The narrator is headed to meet with Mr. Emerson and describes a beautiful morning and the return of his confidence. On his way, the narrator is met by a man who is pushing a cart and singing. The man calls out to the narrator, and they walk along for a while talking though the narrator is confused by the man's ramblings. The man says that Harlem is a bear's den, but that it is the best place for him and the narrator. The man is carrying blueprints with him. Eventually, the two part ways, and the narrator walks on wondering about the song the man was singing.

The narrator walks into a drugstore for breakfast, and is bothered when the man behind the counter assumes that he will order the special of pork chops, grits, one egg, biscuits, and coffee. The narrator feels...