46 pages • 1 hour read
Charles W. ChesnuttThe Marrow of Tradition
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1901A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “The Campaign Drags”
Major Carteret is disappointed that his white supremacy campaign has gained little traction due to a lack of interest. He calls a meeting of the “Big Three” (himself, McBane, and Belmont) to discuss a path forward. Belmont tells the other men that they must get public opinion on their side to avoid being perceived as evil. They plan to use the major’s newspaper as an organ. They look at the town’s Black paper to see if they can make use of its contents.
Chapter 9 Summary: “A White Man’s N*****”
Major Carteret, McBane, and Belmont inspect the Afro-American Banner together, noticing ads for skin-whitening and hair-straightening products. There is an article criticizing lynchings inspired by interracial marriage, which is perfectly legal in the eyes of God and most states. Belmont counsels the other men on when to use the article but warns against immediate punishment of the writer. He sends Jerry out for drinks, and after McBane is rude to the servant, the other men judge his behavior. Listening in again, Jerry has a sense of their plot but mainly worries over whether he should return the general’s change. As the meeting wraps up, the general warns the major that Tom Delamere spends too much time with cards and liquor and suggests that he talk to him about it before Tom and Clara wed.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Delamere Plays a Trump”
Major Carteret gives Tom a lecture, and although Tom is enraged, he has no choice but to bite his tongue: He knows Clara has other suitors, including Ellis. Ellis runs into Tom in the newspaper’s offices and thinks of all he knows about Tom’s behavior: In addition to gambling and drinking, he frequently borrows money from others. Ellis intends to be “next in the field” if Tom loses his chance with Clara (63). However, when Mrs. Ochiltree seeks out Ellis to confirm the rumors she has heard of Tom, Ellis declines to say anything. Mrs. Ochiltree takes this as confirmation of her suspicions and tells Clara directly. When Clara tells Tom about the rumors, Tom proposes they move up their wedding. All agree that settling down into marriage might have a “steadying influence” on the young man.
Chapter 11 Summary: “The Baby and the Bird”
Mammy Jane continues to worry about Dodie. Clara is a frequent visitor to Olivia and the baby. When Janet and her son pass by in a carriage, Olivia is distracted while Clara holds the baby. Clara almost drops the baby out the window before catching hold of his long skirt. Olivia blames the situation equally on Clara and Janet. Mammy Jane wonders if Janet “cast the evil eye” on the baby (69). A few days later, Olivia finds one of Mammy Jane’s protective charms under her son’s crib. She leaves it there.
Chapters 8-11 Analysis
These chapters lay the groundwork for Major Carteret’s scheme as well as Tom’s disgrace. Carteret and his compatriots find an article in the Black-owned paper that may prove useful to their cause: Belmont points out that the press can be a tool for politicians, helping them to sway public opinion. The article had one effect when circulated for a Black audience but may have another one if reframed in the Morning Chronicle. This speaks to the complexity of the novel’s depiction of The Power of the Press; for Chesnutt, journalism is neither an unambiguously good nor evil force, but it is always a potent one.
The romantic triangle between Tom, Ellis, and Clara emerges more fully in these pages. It becomes clear that Tom, while handsome, charming, and already betrothed to Clara, also gambles, drinks heavily, and cheats at cards—all vices by the standards of the day. He is aware of his own habits yet insulted when anyone else notices or comments on them. He believes it is his birthright as a gentleman to act however he pleases. His entitlement parallels the entitlement of the major and his friends, although he seeks only personal gain rather than racial supremacy.
Finally, Chapter 11 demonstrates the continuation of Jane’s superstition. She has continued to worry about the birthmark on Dodie’s neck. She first interpreted it to mean he was bound for the noose. He has already choked once; here, he nears death again. Although Olivia views her voodoo charms as silliness, there seems to be some truth to Jane’s foreboding. Notably, Olivia leaves the charm in place, showing that Black characters are not the only ones given to “superstition” in Chesnutt’s novel. Her action also highlights the hypocrisy Dr. Miller reflected on during the train ride; despite fearing her biracial half sister, Olivia is perfectly content to rely on a Black servant’s religious practices to safeguard her son.
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By Charles W. Chesnutt
