The Promise

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Pages 1-44

Part 1, Pages 45-89

Part 2, Pages 93-130

Part 2, Pages 130-151

Part 3, Pages 155-176

Part 3, Pages 177-192

Part 3, Pages 192-215

Part 4, Pages 219-232

Part 4, Pages 232-257

Part 4, Pages 257-269

Background

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2, Pages 93-130Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “Pa”

Part 2, Pages 93-117 Summary

Part 2 begins nine years after the action of Part 1, in June 1996. Astrid, who is now married with twins, calls Anton to tell him that their father has been bitten by one of the snakes at the reptile park he owns, Scaly City, and is in the ICU. Although Anton and Manie have been estranged since their fight after Rachel’s funeral, Astrid implores Anton to come home as Manie will likely die soon.

Anton has had a difficult life since he deserted the army. The reader does not receive many details about this time, but Anton recalls “images of dirty acts in filthy rooms” (96). As he rides to the hospital, he marvels at all the changes the country has undergone since the end of apartheid and the beginning of Nelson Mandela’s presidency two years prior. He is still adjusting to seeing Black South Africans walking the same streets as white South Africans.

When he arrives at the hospital, Anton tells Manie that he still is not sorry for anything he said nine years ago, even though Manie is in a coma and cannot hear him. At 3:02 the next morning, Manie dies.

Amor, who now lives in London, flies back to South Africa the next day for the services. When she arrives at the farm, she sees a large church on one corner of the property, confirming that Simmers got his wish and has secured some of Manie’s land. All the family and friends gathered at the Swart home remark on how beautiful she has become in adulthood. Astrid, who is still bulimic, feels it is unfair that her sister lost weight while she gained weight after giving birth.

Amor is pleased to see Salome but is bothered by the fact that her father’s promise remains unfulfilled after nine years. Before she raises the issue, she hears the gruesome details of Manie’s death: Simmers had the idea for Manie to climb into one of Scaly City’s snake tanks as a fundraising scheme for the church. People made donations to sponsor Manie’s attempt to “break the world record for dwelling among serpents” (114).

Already furious at Simmers’s continued intrusion into his family’s life, Anton grows even more angry when he learns his father specified in his will that Anton can only get his share of the inheritance if he apologizes to Simmers. Anton refuses at first, but after he considers it more carefully, he decides the money is more important than his pride.

Part 2, Pages 117-130 Summary

The following day, Anton goes to Simmers’s house and makes a fast, grudging apology. Simmers, who has grown relatively wealthy since Rachel’s death from the success of his new church, condescendingly accepts.

Meanwhile, Amor and Astrid plan for Manie’s funeral. On their way home from the funeral home, Astrid confides in Amor that she had an affair with the man who installed her home security system, Jake Moody.

When they arrive home, Amor prepares herself to raise the issue of Salome’s house with the family, but a distraction arises when a dove abruptly crashes into the house’s glass door and dies. Astrid’s husband Dean buries it, and for a surreal couple of pages, the novel’s narrative point of view enters the perspective of a pair of jackals who dig up the dove to eat and then wander around the city. When the jackals make their way back to the farm, Lukas and another young Black farm worker named Andile are digging Manie’s grave in preparation for the upcoming services.

Part 2, Pages 93-130 Analysis

The beginning of Part 2 presents a dour view of most of the characters despite the optimistic tone that animates much of the country since the end of apartheid. Two years earlier, in 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as the first Black president of South Africa in the country’s first democratic elections. The country’s new constitution aimed to create a society based on democratic values, social justice, and fundamental human rights though the implementation of these values did not happen right away. This highlights The Difficulty of Addressing Past Injustices. Though South Africa transitioned out of apartheid without experiencing a full-scale civil war, enough violence, loss, and inequality had transpired that the country had political and social wounds that could not be easily healed. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission established In 1995 attempted to deal with this by holding a series of public hearings that let victims tell their stories and allowed perpetrators of violence to seek amnesty or face imprisonment for their crimes.

The difficulty of truth and reconciliation translates to the Swarts’ ongoing struggles during this period. First, the narrator confirms what was hinted at in Part 1: Reverend Simmers is a grifter, a clergyman more interested in making money than in shepherding souls. Although he does not see himself this way, the narrator’s descriptions of his actions and lifestyle leave no room for doubt. He endangered Manie’s life for a fundraising scheme, latching onto a publicity stunt rather than encouraging any actual spiritual growth in his congregant. Moreover, he uses some of the funds submitted to his new church to support a lavish lifestyle for himself and his sister.

As these chapters continue to highlight patterns of corruption and neglect in the government and various faith denominations, a theme of Cynicism Toward Institutions emerges. Manie’s willingness to part with some of his land for the sake of Simmers, who is only using Manie’s wealth to enrich himself, forms a revealing contrast with his unwillingness to part with an extremely modest building for the sake of Salome, who has only ever served his family with patient faithfulness.

Furthermore, Anton’s capitulation to the clause in Manie’s will shows the extent to which he is willing to compromise for financial gain. Although he sees through Simmers and believes the minister was responsible for Manie’s death, he prioritizes financial security. Because Anton is in a financially precarious position at the time, his surrender in this case is understandable. But it foreshadows his coming moral compromises, including his decision to forever put off giving Salome her house even though he understands Amor’s moral reasoning in pushing him to keep the promise.