Chapter 18 Summary and Analysis

The cruise serves Mother's purpose of diverting Kay's mind from the eternal questions of "why?" and "what is next?" In fact, it addicts Kay to looking around, observing and learning. En route home, Kay stops to see the Bohlens and declares emphatically that she will work and not remarry, quite the opposite of the natural expectation. On September 20, 1962, the board of directors elects Kay president of the Washington Post Company. She does not feel she is "taking over." Indeed, she has no idea what her role will be as she silently learns about the company that she will tend for her children. She relies on the strong men already running various operations and naively believes everything will just continue on. She soon learns that nothing stands still and that the company is a frighteningly immense operation. She has no idea she...