The Behavior of the Hawkweeds Summary

Antonia, the adult narrator and protagonist, was born in 1921 and was raised in the same house as her immigrant grandfather Anton "Tony" Vaculik, who she calls "Tati". Vaculik was born in1856 in Moravia, and emigrated to Albania in 1891 and then on to the United States in1900. Until about 1931, Tati works in a plant nursery grafting specimens. Antonia helps her grandfather at the nursery until one day a new supervisor attempts to sexually molest her—Tati intervenes by stabbing the assailant in the hand with a pruning knife. The man leaps back, stumbles, falls, and hits his head, causing severe injury. Over the next weeks, Tati becomes increasingly distressed as the man's condition worsens and, finally, he dies. Tati learns he will be prosecuted for manslaughter and most of the neighborhood, unaware of the assault...