60 pages • 2 hours read
Deb CalettiA Heart in a Body in the World
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 21-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary
Annabelle has been gone 107 days, and it has been 62 days since she and Grandpa left the Hutterites community. Annabelle is past the halfway point. She has read Luke’s book about the Antarctica explorers four times. Twice, Gina and Malcolm have flown out to visit Annabelle and Grandpa, giving them the opportunity to sleep in real motel beds.
Annabelle’s mind flashes back to her memories of The Taker. After the school dance, in which Annabelle felt The Taker’s erection against her, Annabelle tries to ignore The Taker at school. One day Annabelle finds The Taker waiting by her car after school, asking for a ride home. It’s raining and the busses have left, so Annabelle reluctantly agrees. As she drives, The Taker admits that he didn’t really miss the bus—he got out of class early—he just misses talking to Annabelle. Annabelle confesses that she saw her ex-boyfriend Will at Whole Foods over the weekend and it was nice to see him.
The Taker starts showing up by Annabelle’s car every Wednesday and Friday, the two days Annabelle doesn’t give Kat a ride; Annabelle realizes The Taker is intentionally trying to be alone with her. Kat and Gina both tell Annabelle to start saying no—it’s clear The Taker makes Annabelle uncomfortable—but Annabelle doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. The Taker starts doing other things that make Annabelle uncomfortable, such as texting her late at night or taking a picture of something with Annabelle in the background. Finally, Annabelle tells The Taker that she can’t drive him anymore because they changed her schedule at her part-time job.
Annabelle is running along an empty highway through a gloomy part of Minnesota. As she runs, she sees a pickup truck ahead in the distance. As the pickup truck passes her, Annabelle waves. The driver looks at her and waves back, but as he looks away from the road, he hits a deer. The deer flies into the air and hits the ground. Its body is bent and clearly dead, and the man’s truck “looks like a crushed beer can” (223). Annabelle feels paralyzed by the gruesome sight of the deer. Annabelle sobs and throws up. The man runs out of his truck and asks Annabelle again and again, “Can I help you, honey?” (223).
Chapter 22 Summary
After witnessing the deer’s death, Annabelle spends the next three days in her bunk. Dr. Mann calls. The car accident with the deer coincides with June 10, the anniversary of the tragic shooting. Grandpa tells Annabelle that a lot of people on the internet are remembering the tragedy. Grandpa also comes across an article in USA Today about Annabelle’s run, with the headline “Reluctant Activist Makes 2,700-Mile Run” (228). Finally, Annabelle goes online and sees her friends’ prom pictures, an event she missed due to her run. Finally, after a few days, Grandpa tells Annabelle that she either needs to keep running or they need to return to Seattle. Zach and Olivia call to tell Annabelle she’s scheduled to speak at local clubs and colleges in the various towns she will run through, including Carnegie Mellon. They encourage Annabelle to keep running. Annabelle doesn’t know what to say to the clubs and students—she isn’t running for a particular cause, just for herself. Olivia answers, “That’s exactly the point! That’s exactly what people get. You are not pounding another freaking message among a million messages. […] You’re doing” (234). Annabelle hangs up without giving Zach and Olivia an answer.
Chapter 23 Summary
Annabelle experiences another flashback of The Taker. After Annabelle stops giving The Taker a ride home after school, they remain friendly. The Taker waits for Annabelle by her locker and saves her a seat at lunch. One day Annabelle teases The Taker for the onions on his sandwich, and he gets mad. Annabelle thinks he is being too sensitive but also shrugs it off, thinking, “everyone has their thing. Zach Oh acts like a baby when he loses a video game” (237). Eventually, The Taker gets his own car, and when Annabelle’s car is in the shop, he gives her rides home after school. The Taker even gives her a flower on Valentine’s Day. Malcolm tells Annabelle that The Taker likes her, but Annabelle insists they’re just friends. Secretly, Annabelle enjoys The Taker’s attention, even though he makes her uncomfortable. On Annabelle’s birthday, The Taker gives her two concert tickets but says it’s a group outing; they’ll be meeting up with The Taker’s friends from his part-time job.
Back in Grandpa’s RV in Minnesota, Gina calls to tell Annabelle she bought a cap and gown and to encourage Annabelle to come home and be part of her graduation ceremony. During this phone call Annabelle decides she wants to continue running. She senses that her mom wants her to keep running, too, and may have not even bought a cap and gown. Annabelle leaves a note for her grandpa, who is spending the day in the small town, and starts to run. As she runs, she sees her grandpa in the window of a local diner and waves. Grandpa waves and cheers.
Chapter 24 Summary
Annabelle reaches a small town in Iowa where the locals, having heard of her run, invite her to a free dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, the owner brings out a cake that reads, “Happy graduation to you!” Even though Annabelle “didn’t want to think about her graduation, that she wanted this to be like any other day” (250), she is overcome by the townspeople’s kindness. One woman approaches Annabelle to say she can’t stop thinking about Annabelle’s story—her daughter dated a boy like The Taker in college, and she fears what might have happened if her daughter hadn’t changed schools.
In a small town in Illinois, Annabelle meets with a local high school track and field team at a library. The students ask her questions about running, such as her daily mileage and any injuries she’s endured. Afterward, a woman approaches Annabelle and says, “Don’t you let him get to you” (252), referring to The Taker. Annabelle realizes people are angry at The Taker and the pain he’s caused. Annabelle starts to feel a “worm of fury” toward The Taker (252). Previously, Annabelle felt that “[o]nly they should be allowed to be angry […] They, the ones who weren’t to blame and who suffered the most” (252), but she is realizing that her own fury is valid too.
Chapters 21-24 Analysis
In Chapters 20 and 21 Luke Messenger gives Annabelle Endurance by Alfred Lansing, the book he was reading about explorers in Antarctica. This book is a symbol of Annabelle’s friendship with Luke as well as her own endurance in completing her cross-country run. Prior to Luke’s gifts of the book and the tape player, Annabelle avoided books and music, though she used to love both. Annabelle reflects, “She has missed books, but she’s been afraid of them, same as music. Books make you feel things hard. They hit the tender spots” (205). Books and music often explore deep, emotional themes that can be difficult for Annabelle to face given her anxiety and trauma. Annabelle avoids books and music because she doesn’t want to dig up these bad feelings. However, she eventually reads Endurance multiple times, “the way a person might read the Bible—in small passages, repeated again and again, to help her stay grounded. To help her persevere, and understand her place in the world” (205). The book represents Annabelle’s progress. Before, Annabelle avoided books and music, but now she finds strength in Endurance. Throughout the novel Annabelle learns to cope with her trauma and anxiety. By beginning to read again, Annabelle realizes that she is strong enough to face emotionally challenging situations and that books aren’t only a source of trauma—they can also give her strength and encouragement.
In Chapter 21 the author uses lists as a technique to show passing time. Annabelle notes her injuries: “Toenails lost: bunches. Sunburns: multiple” (208), but her list eventually progresses to include positive parts of her journey, such as people who have taken Annabelle’s picture and cheered her on as she’s passed through their towns. This shows the passing of time because the reader can imagine how far Annabelle ran to amass those injuries and experiences. The list also moves from difficult challenges to positive experiences, ending the passage on a hopeful note. This reflects Annabelle’s own increasing strength and hope.
Finally, the deer in Chapter 21 is significant because it triggers memories of the traumatic incident Annabelle experienced with The Taker. After seeing the deer get hit and killed by a truck, Annabelle is unable to get out of bed for several days. This connects to the bigger theme of trauma and PTSD that exists throughout the novel. Dr. Mann notes that the accident with the deer coincides with the anniversary of the incident, which is still unnamed but was clearly violent. Oftentimes, certain images can take a person with PTSD back to the scene of an upsetting accident from their past. The deer reminds Annabelle of the violent incident with The Taker, which illustrates just how difficult and upsetting it can be to suffer from PTSD.
