49 pages • 1 hour read
Raynor WinnThe Salt Path
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | 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.
Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 5: “Choices”
Part 5, Chapter 17 Summary: “Sheep”
At the shed, formerly a meat-processing room, Moth and Raynor set up their tent in the middle of the room. Polly does not ask for rent, but she does ask Moth to finish the shed. Raynor is grateful for shelter but also feels empty inside. Moth’s pain and stiffness have increased. They see Moth’s doctor, who tells them that he “has accelerated his own decline” (204). They spend Christmas with his brother.
Raynor struggles to find work. Though she has many skills from the farm, none of it is documented employment. They work to complete the shed while Moth feels as though he is becoming more forgetful. In early May, Polly finds work for Raynor as a “wrapper,” someone on a shearing team who gathers the wool as it is sheared off the sheep. The work is physically demanding and requires long days. The other workers rarely interact with her. The days run together as Moth continues to finish the shed. Raynor recognizes that the relationship between her and Polly has shifted as she is now a tenant who pays no rent. Polly invites them to stay as long as they like and approves of the job they are doing on the shed.
At work, another shearer called Gordon reveals that he has seen the shed; he plans to move in, and Polly seems to support the decision. Raynor brings this up to Moth later, who understands Polly’s need for extra income. He indicates that he would like to go to university to become a teacher. He applies, is accepted, and they then apply for financial aid. Polly mentions her need for extra income, and Raynor reveals their plan. With Raynor’s money, they put enough away to rent in two months in late September and head back out.
Part 5 Analysis
Instead of accelerating toward a dramatic climax, the narrative stagnates slightly in this section. Though they have a roof over their heads and Raynor eventually finds a job, her and Moth’s situation deteriorates. Moth’s health declines, and Raynor sinks into a despondent mood, as she feels disconnected from the world around her. This section contrasts sharply with the previous narrative; instead of constantly moving, they are still, and instead of meeting new people every day, they interact sparsely with the same people. The contrast emphasizes the fact that they need to keep moving in some way.
One topic that becomes prominent in this section is testing the limits of friendship. When they have had to stay with friends, they have recognized that after a while they inevitably become a burden. The situation is particularly complicated with Polly. Polly is a long-term friend who lives a life similar to the life Moth and Raynor once had. She runs her own farm, but she is always on the lookout for additional sources of income. Moth fixes up the shed, and Polly invites them to stay as long as they like, but they also discover that she is thinking about renting it. Winn therefore explores solidarity between people who have been unhoused but also suggests that the generosity of friendship has limits. The fact that she frequently mentions failed welfare state initiatives in the text (such as waiting lists for housing) conveys the idea that state-funded safety nets should increase to eliminate the need for precarious generosity.
While the pair might feel slightly betrayed by Polly, they take this as a sign that it is time to move on. In this sense, Polly functions as their foil: She has had similar experiences to them but is now living a life that they must leave behind. It is only through their time with her that they accept that life is no longer for them. By the end of the section, they are once again planning to hike the trail. However, they have formulated a tentative plan for Moth to enroll in university and become an educator, meaning that the narrative structure repeats itself but in an adapted way: They are once again rendered unhoused and leave a farm for the coastal path, but there is more tangible hope.
