Part IV, The Incorruptible Simplicity of Being, A String of Crystalline Parables, Chapter 11, Arm's-Length Intimacies Summary and Analysis

At the beginning of the chapter, Williams is surprised when some students ask her a question after class about contract law that disturbs her. At Christmas, she relates the story to her sister who tells her a similar story about a drive-through wake that she heard about. Both events worried Williams enough to wonder about her own sanity due to the concerns about death, life, and the space in between raised by both discussions.

Later Williams finds herself in New Orleans for two conferences. After one day of the first conference, Williams finds herself arguing with a law and literature professor. They enter a department store that is in the middle of a...