Chapter 8, Part 1 Summary

The prologue for this chapter is written in first person, with the narrator recalling nights in his childhood when he was troubled by sounds coming from the hall and later discovered they were being made by a rat trying to crack open a walnut. The narrator also recalls flashes of a light from outside that reminds him of "something flying round and around the house looking for a place to get in."

The chapter itself begins with descriptions of the continuing rain and of the large flocks of Canada geese flying south for the winter. Narrative also describes how the people of the town dread the coming hardships of the season, which they believe will be made even harder by Hank's refusal to stop scabbing. The narrative then changes focus and explores the situation of Willard Eggleston, who owns both the...