38 pages • 1 hour read
Walter MosleyThe Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaPages 1-71Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Pages 1-34 Summary
The novel begins with a section entitled “Afterward,” which seems to be a farewell note from someone named Ptolemy to someone named Robyn. The events it mentions have no meaning until the end of the story. Ptolemy’s last words before death are contained here. He explains his motive for confronting Alfred, who we will learn killed his great-great-nephew Reggie. Ptolemy expresses regret for all the things he left undone in life; he appreciates the chance to make at least one thing right by avenging Reggie’s murder. He concludes the story of his life by expressing his gratitude and undying love for Robyn.
The story proper begins by introducing Ptolemy Usher Grey. He is a ninety-one-year-old Black man and lives in a rundown apartment in Los Angeles. Although he is physically healthy, he is losing his memory. His mind drifts between past and present and he often confuses people in his current life with others who are gone. His great-great-nephew Reggie often comes by to help him out and take him grocery shopping.
One day, a different relative named Hilly comes knocking at the door. He announces that Reggie’s aunt, Niecie, has sent him to take care of Ptolemy because Reggie can’t. At first, Ptolemy doesn’t want to allow him inside: “Too many names were moving around Ptolemy’s mind. Hilly sounded familiar; and June, too, had a place behind the door that kept many of his memories alive but mostly unavailable” (12).
Eventually, Ptolemy lets Hilly in. Hilly is disgusted by the filth and squalor in which Ptolemy lives. Even the bathroom toilet doesn’t flush. Hilly finally gets Ptolemy to accompany him outside to go grocery shopping. Ptolemy has three social security checks that he needs to cash at the bank first, but he fears a neighbor named Melinda Hogarth, who drinks and uses drugs. She’s stolen from Ptolemy before. When she sees Ptolemy, she threatens to beat him if he won’t give her more money, but Hilly drives her away.
On the street, Ptolemy and Hilly discuss the location of the bank, which Ptolemy has forgotten. Ptolemy removes a bank card from his wallet and hands it to Hilly. This draws the attention of two policemen who think the young man is robbing Ptolemy. Ptolemy and Hilly explain the mix-up, but Ptolemy thinks: “Didn’t he know that you weren’t ever supposed to take out your wallet on a street? If the thieves didn’t get you the police certainly would. The young people didn’t seem to have any sense anymore. They didn’t know” (25).
Pages 35-71 Summary
After cashing the checks at the bank, Ptolemy is certain that he has been short-changed, but Hilly assures him that everything is all right. They finish grocery shopping and Hilly takes Ptolemy to Niecie’s house. Ptolemy is Niecie’s great-uncle. Once Ptolemy arrives, he learns that Niecie’s nephew Reggie has been killed in a drive-by shooting. The wake is being held in the home, and Ptolemy goes into the bedroom to see his favorite relative one last time. He meets Reggie’s beautiful widow, Nina, and her two small children. He also meets Nina’s boyfriend, Alfred. The two have been having an affair the whole time that Nina was married to Reggie. Nina dumps her children in the care of Niecie for an unspecified period of time and leaves with Alfred.
While mourning Reggie, Ptolemy meets a teenager named Robyn. She is an orphan, and Niecie has become her guardian. We gain insight into Ptolemy’s thoughts: “Robyn was no more than eighteen and she was beautiful to Ptolemy. Her almond-shaped eyes looked right into his, not making him feel old or like he wasn’t there” (37). Ptolemy feels an immediate connection with her. Robyn says: “You don’t look that old. Your skin is so smooth and you stand up straight. It’s like you’re old but just normal old, not no ninety-one” (49).
Days after the wake, Ptolemy refuses to open his door to anyone. He won’t even let Hilly inside because he knows that the young man stole part of his social security money. Later, a stranger knocks and says that he is working with a doctor who helps older people experiencing symptoms of dementia. Before his death, Reggie applied to social services on behalf of Ptolemy for this treatment. Even though Ptolemy doesn’t open the door, the man slips a card underneath. The man’s name is Antoine Church, and Ptolemy keeps his card.
A few days later, a new visitor arrives. This time it is Robyn, and Ptolemy lets her inside. Since he won’t see Hilly, Niecie instructed Robyn to look after Ptolemy. He confides that Hilly stole his money, and Robyn agrees that Hilly can’t be trusted.
Robyn is disturbed by the dirty apartment and takes Ptolemy shopping for cleaning supplies. Out on the street, Ptolemy fears another attack by Melinda, but Robyn assures him that she always carries a knife and will protect Ptolemy from Melinda if she shows up. After they return from shopping, Robyn immediately sets about cleaning Ptolemy’s apartment. She even gets the toilet to flush. Ptolemy entreats her not to throw anything away because all his belongings represent memories: “In between the garbage and the trash is all the things I have. Keys and lockets, pictures and money . . . treasure” (66). Robyn is respectful and has him examine every item before she dumps it. In the end, she is able to fill five large trash bags. Now that the bathroom is clean, Robyn promises to come back in a few days and tackle the bedroom.
Pages 1-71 Analysis
The initial segment of the book disorients the reader, as events are seen through the eyes of an elderly man experiencing memory loss. He mentions names and places that don’t exist in his current environment. Snippets of memory intrude while Ptolemy carries on conversations with people in the real world. He routinely confuses people standing in front of him with those who have died decades earlier.
At Reggie’s wake, all major characters in the story are introduced to the reader, though their significance is obscured by Ptolemy’s inability to contextualize them. However, we readily discern that some people are not to be trusted. Nina, Alfred, and Hilly all behave selfishly and ruthlessly toward other members of the family, including Ptolemy.
Robyn stands out from the rest. She doesn’t remind Ptolemy of anyone else. Given how frequently figures from his past bleed into present-moment reality, this is a significant change. It allows Ptolemy to step out of his confusing inner world and meet Robyn.
Robyn refreshes Ptolemy’s life when she becomes his caregiver. She immediately begins cleaning his apartment. By checking with him before discarding anything, she creates trust. Ptolemy is still far from mentally strong, but he senses that someone cares for him. His growing affection for Robyn helps him return to the land of the living.
Related Titles
By Walter Mosley
