If Beale Street Could Talk

In his cell, Fonny dreams of the uncertainty he feels during his first effort to create a sculpture out of a piece of wood. He wakes up from this dream. He is tired, smells bad, and feels a growing sense of despair. He masturbates to pass the time. Tish comes to visit him that evening, and she notes with concern how ragged he looks. Tish tells Fonny that his trial date is coming up and that the baby will soon arrive as well.

Tish also updates Fonny on Hayward’s progress on his defense. Victoria is likely to break under the pressure of questioning on the stand, and Hayward has uncovered that she is a sometimes sex worker. In addition, the decision to place just one African American man—Fonny—in the lineup probably tainted the identification enough that they can get the case thrown out. There is also the accusation that Bell killed a little boy. Fonny is not reassured by these bits of news.

After Sharon returns home from Puerto Rico, she tells her family that the last she heard of Victoria was that the woman had a miscarriage and suffered a complete psychological breakdown. Pietro took her away to Barranguitas, a mountain region, and the woman is unlikely to be found again. The unavailability of Victoria will lead to the indefinite postponement of the trial, during which Fonny is likely to be held in jail. The only good plan as a result is to ask for bail to get Fonny out.

Tish shares the news with Fonny, who is devasted by it. Fonny reconciles himself to the fact that the stay in jail may be permanent. He begins acquainting himself with the other men imprisoned with him. Tish brings him books and papers. Fonny is placed in solitary for “refusing to be raped” (192), and Tish frequently finds him with new injuries when she visits. They finally manage to secure the bail determination, but the amount is high.

Tish knows that the baby will come any day now. One day, Fonny’s sister Adrienne calls. She is crying. Frank was fired from his job for stealing. He came home drunk and left in a bad state of mind. She asks Tish if she has seen Frank. Later that night, it’s revealed that Frank killed himself with exhaust fumes from his car. Tish passes out and goes into labor.

The novel ends with an ambiguous scene. Fonny is working on a sculpture, and in the background “from far away, but coming nearer, the baby cries and cries and cries […] like it means to wake the dead” (197). Fonny is either dreaming of his art while he is in prison, or else he is at work while his child cries in the background.