110 pages • 3 hours read
Varian JohnsonThe Parker Inheritance
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. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 21-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary
As Candice and Brandon head back to Perkins, they don’t see Milo, meaning that Candice’s schedule worked. Ms. McMillan is excited to help them, and she uncovers a number of yearbooks for both Perkins and Wallace. Though they find some information about Leanne Washington, but none of it really makes sense with the clues they are searching for. When Brandon goes to help Ms. McMillan get some books, Candice finds a plaque to James Parker, which includes a poem by Langston Hughes. Candice wonders “what would make [Parker] go to so much trouble to honor a school he never attended” (125) and thinks about whether he and Siobhan Washington loved one another.
Chapter 22 Summary
Candice and Brandon continue their research with Ms. McMillan, quickly figuring out that Leanne Washington was actively involved with “raising money to fight segregation” (127). After, they turn their attention to finding James Parker in either of the school’s yearbooks but have no luck. Candice gets upset when she finds that someone wrote “something stupid and ugly and racist” (129) in one of the yearbooks. Ms. McMillan promises to get her another copy and they begin wrapping up their work for the day.
Candice and Brandon begin to leave, but when they get outside Brandon realizes that he’s left Tori’s cellphone, which he had borrowed, inside. As they try to problem solve, a man comes outside, Mr. Rittenhauer, one of the assistant principals. He yells at them for being outside the building; when Brandon tries to explain what they’ve been working on, Mr. Rittenhauer says “the only thing I hate more than a thief is a liar” (131) and asks them for identification. As Candice and Brandon struggle to deal with the accusations, Ms. McMillan finally comes outside and saves them from the interaction. Both Candice and Brandon are shaken by the event and decide to just go home instead of getting lunch.
Chapter 23 Summary
In 1957, Leanne Washington argues with her husband about why he antagonized the white coaches from Wallace High School. Leanne reminds him, “Just because you don’t see the path doesn’t mean it’s not there” (135). They argue further and though Coach Dub insists that “it’s just a friendly game” (137), Leanne is convinced that a more sinister conclusion will happen.
Chapter 24 Summary
Candice continues her research late into the day until her mother interrupts to have her help make a salad for dinner. As Candice puts lettuce into the bowl, Anne presses her about the incident at the high school. Candice feels like she might cry and finally explains what happened. Anne is very supportive and wants to make sure she addresses the issue with the school. Candice moves on, wishing they could talk about “the letter, Milo, Brandon, her dad, Danielle” (140), but instead she asks whether or not they are poor. Anne explains that while finances are tight, things are going to be okay.
With her mother’s admission about their finances, Candice feels confident enough to ask whether Joe is seeing someone. Anne dodges the question and says that it’s “something [Candice] should take up with [her] father” (142). Anne redirects Candice’s attention by inviting her to attend the Juneteenth Festival at Vickers Park that Saturday.
Chapters 21-24 Analysis
Though Candice and Brandon are both mildly aware of the way that their racial identity impacts their lives, they experience a more explicit form of racism that heightens the emotional landscape of the novel. When Mr. Rittenhauer accuses them of lying about why they are outside of Perkins High School, Candice and Brandon are both initially confused. Later, as Candice processes with her mother, she realizes that Mr. Rittenhauer’s negative perception of her is because she is Black. This is a critical learning moment for both Candice and Brandon because it changes the way they understand the events leading up to the creation of the Parker inheritance mystery. For Candice and Brandon, this event acts as a catalyst in shaping their understanding of the larger social landscape of Lambert in ways that they had not previously internalized. While Candice and Brandon are understanding themselves in relation to the world around them in increasingly complex ways, Johnson also includes supportive adults who act as role models: both Candice and Brandon’s mothers take action against Mr. Rittenhauer, and Ms. McMillan acts in lovingly towards them.
One of the biggest mysteries of the novel is James Parker’s identity, which Candice feels is the center of the puzzle. When she finds a Langston Hughes poem directly referring to “the darker brother” (124), Candice feels that James Parker’s identity is further complicated: “Who was this man?” (125). Though this aspect of the mystery won’t be revealed until much later in the novel, Candice’s difficulty in figuring out who James Parker was helps lead her to uncover new clues that her grandmother might not have discovered. In addition, Candice’s questioning about James Parker leads her to learn more about the different characters in 1950s Lambert.
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