Ninth Ward

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-14

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Quiz

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 13-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 13 Summary: “Monday Isn’t Over”

Lanesha allows TaShon and Spot to sleep for the time it takes the water to reach the attic floor, but when it starts to fill the attic, she must move. First, she pushes and piles together the old furniture in the attic near the window, trying to create higher ground. The tallest item is an old “chiffaro.” Lanesha means a chifforobe, a freestanding piece of furniture similar to an armoire that has drawers as well as a space for hanging clothing. She moves their food and water and her pre-algebra book to the top of the chifforobe, then wakes TaShon. He remembers to get the axe as well. Then the two of them climb up along with Spot. They eat the last of the rice and beans; TaShon encourages Lanesha to eat to keep up her strength. They watch the water climb. Soon Lanesha must use the axe to break the window and chop a hole around the frame big enough to climb through. TaShon climbs onto the roof first; Lanesha and he pull Spot out next. Finally, Lanesha climbs out onto the roof as well.

Chapter 14 Summary: “Tuesday”

It is almost dawn. As the sun comes up, they see “[n]o land. Only sky and dirty water” (189). While the sight of their submerged neighborhood is devastating, they agree they must have fortitude to survive. A helicopter goes by but flies off as if it did not see them, though Lanesha is certain it did. She can see a few other families on rooftops in the distance. They wait all day, getting sunburned and growing more and more hungry. No one comes to rescue them. On the second morning, TaShon spots the neighbor’s rowboat stuck between their two houses. From an inherent understanding of physics, Lanesha believes that if she knocks it free, the boat will float close enough that they can climb on board. She manages to grab a sapling with a heavy trunk, and they drag it out of the water. She plans to use the small tree to knock the boat free.

After trying and failing several times, and Lanesha encouraging TaShon with thoughts of food and Mama Ya-Ya, they reorient themselves on the roofline and try again. This time Lanesha sees that if she jumps in as they thrust the tree, it might work. She jumps into the black and fetid water. Almost immediately she is caught and feels she will drown. Struggling and disoriented, and ready to give up, Lanesha suddenly feels a kiss. It is the ghost of her mother, who smiles and lights the way in the dark water. Her mother says her name, untangles her leg from where it is caught in a tree branch, and tells her to pull to the surface. Lanesha breaks the surface and climbs into the boat. She uses the oars to bring the boat closer to the roofline of her house. TaShon and Spot jump in. Lanesha sees and hears the ghost of Mama Ya-Ya rising from the water, “all sparkly like diamonds, all glittery like rainbows” (211). Then she sees the ghost of her mother with Mama Ya-Ya. Before fading away, they tell her, “We love you” (211).

Lanesha and TaShon rest, then row. They sing “Row, Row Your Boat” to stay motivated. A line of ghosts to the left keeps Lanesha from steering toward the gulf. Finally, they encounter two men in a motorboat who throw a line and tow them to safety.

Chapters 13-14 Analysis

In the novel’s final chapters, Lanesha continues her fight to survive and keep TaShon and Spot alive as well. Ironically, what she learns is that without TaShon’s help, she may have had an even more difficult time surviving. TaShon is the one who remembers to bring the axe from its place near the door to the top of the chifforobe. If he had not thought of it, the axe might have been lost in the black water, and the three would not have been able to escape. TaShon is also a necessary helper to Lanesha when she has the idea to knock the rowboat free with a tree trunk, as she could not have secured the boat herself.

Lanesha, for her part, continues to recognize her own strengths, weaknesses, and thought processes; as the climax nears, her self-awareness reaches critical peaks. She insists on chopping through the window wall herself (she knows TaShon isn’t big or strong enough), and she intuitively sees how to free the boat (she knows her plan to knock the boat free is solidly based on angles, though she has never studied geometry or physics). Lanesha manages to draw up enough physical strength despite her exhaustion to break through the window with the axe and figure out how to get the boat free—“like playing pool” (197)—and she also realizes that she must be the one to rally and encourage TaShon each time he wants to quit.

The novel’s climax approaches as the two thrust the tree trunk toward the boat several times, and it arrives when Lanesha willingly plunges into the water to secure their freedom. In her struggle to survive under the black water, she fights to remain self-aware while quickly slipping toward surrender. When her mother’s ghost appears, Lanesha can tell that Mama’s eyes are not dull as they have always been; rather, they bright and alive at seeing how much Lanesha has accomplished. The sound of Mama’s voice saying Lanesha’s name for the first time motivates Lanesha to swim up to air. Ultimately, what Lanesha learns about survival in that moment is that we must allow those who love us to help us when it is needed, so we can continue forward. This lesson dawns slowly over the course of the novel, building with Mama Ya-Ya’s love and care as well as TaShon’s help in their “journey” to the attic and roof as the flood worsens. Through her graceful acceptance of help from TaShon, Mama Ya-Ya, and Mama, Lanesha brings her own strengths and abilities to the forefront and survives. Once she, Spot, and TaShon are safely in the boat, she hears her mother and Mama Ya-Ya state their love; Lanesha feels happy and fulfilled. With the help of those who love her, Lanesha accomplished what she set out to do upon realizing her important role in surviving Katrina.