Chapter 22 Summary

Oliver leaves the room and tells Phil that Jenny is dead. Then Oliver goes out to the lobby, needing to get some fresh air. Oliver III rushes into the lobby, as Oliver reaches it, announcing that he has just learned of Jenny's illness and wants to help. Oliver says she is dead, and Oliver III says he is sorry. Oliver says he should not be sorry and then cries in his father's arms for the first time.

Chapter 22 Analysis

Jenny's death has been the climactic ending to the main plot of the novel and this chapter, with Oliver reaching out to his father, is the climactic end to the subplot. Oliver accepts his father's love for the first time, seeing it for what it is in his father's awkward way of showing love. This touches on the relationship between parent and child theme...