Part Six: My Troubles Have Just Begun Summary and Analysis

After becoming President-Elect, Lincoln began compiling a list of possible cabinet members. He was very busy, often with over 150 visitors a day, and his right hand was swollen and sore from all the shaking. After his election, Lincoln had a troubling vision: while lying on a sofa alone in his chamber, he saw himself reflected in the bureau mirror across the room. But the two halves of his face looked like different faces: one half was rosy with life, and the other pale as a death mask. Mary took the dream to mean that Lincoln would live though his first administration, but die in his second. He thought about the vision for the rest of his life. Lincoln grew his Quaker beard, now iconic in images of the President...