35 pages • 1 hour read
Chris CroweMississippi Trial, 1955
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2002A 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 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
The novel opens with Hiram reflecting on his father, particularly his father’s strong beliefs in social justice and his displeasure with how life is in the South, and the Mississippi Delta region where he was raised. We learn that Hiram comes to live with his paternal Grampa while his father and mother are up at Ole Miss; his father goes to school on the GI Bill for his degree in English. Hiram recalls being a kid in Greenwood, buying candy or a soda from Mr. Paul’s store while his Grampa conducted business at the county courthouse. Afterwards, Hiram and Grampa would drive in the pickup truck out to Grampa’s fields to check on the progress of work. Hiram remembers the sweat on the black men as they worked in the sun and Grampa’s angry reaction when he catches Hiram helping one of them work the earth. He tells Hiram that God “made Negroes to work the land. They don’t feel the heat like we do” (8).
Chapter 2 Summary
Hiram wakes up to the familiar smells in his grandparents’ house, especially enjoying the comforting aromas of his Gramma’s cooking and the coffee that is brewing. He thinks about the structure and appearance of his grandparents’ house, like a “smaller version of the White House in Washington” (9). In the evenings, he always finds his Grampa reading The Greenwood Commonwealth, to stay up-to-date on the social and political climate of The South. Hiram watches him become particularly fired up at the news about the push towards desegregation, which leads him into a tirade about how things must remain a certain way in The South, despite Northern pressure. Later, Hiram hangs out with R.C. Rydell, and they spy on the Remingtons dancing in their home. R.C. decides to tease them by chucking rocks at their window, which startles them and makes Hiram feel uncomfortable. The next time the boys hang out with one another, they are headed on a fishing excursion. Hiram’s Gramma sends him off with some lunch and a gift of cookies for RC’s sister, Naomi, who Hiram has always doted upon. On the fishing trip, Hiram gets another glimpse into RC’s unsavory behavior when he cruelly slices open a fish that stings him.
Chapter 3 Summary
One morning, instead of familiar sounds and smells rising up from the kitchen, Hiram wakes up to complete, eerie silence. He recalls, “I wasn’t afraid; it just didn’t seem regular” (27). His Grampa returns and breaks the news of his Gramma’s death. His parents come back to Greenwood and they hold a memorial service in the home. The Remingtons attend, though they are not welcomed by the rest of the family and friends. The Remingtons end up in conversation with Hiram, expressing their condolences, and calling his Gramma “a queen of kindness” (30). He later runs into Naomi, who comforts him, having been through loss before with the death of her own mother. Shortly following the funeral, Hiram’s father explains that the family plans to move west, to Arizona, a reality that angers and devastates Hiram. He returns to the bridge overlooking the Yazoo River, hoping and praying that something will prevent him from leaving the Delta.
Chapters 1-3 Analysis
Hiram’s early years in the Delta with his grandparents are mostly pleasant. He has fond memories of adventures and outings with his Grampa and the comforts of home that his Gramma provided. Though he has a glimpse at what life is like for the workers in Grampa’s fields, Hiram has very little awareness about the racial divide in Greenwood, and in Mississippi at large. He takes Grampa’s explanation of the differences between blacks and whites as sufficient enough and he no longer gives much thought to the plight of the field workers in the intense summer heat. Though he is significantly shielded from the world of prejudice that his Grampa and many others inhabit, he is an emotionally-intelligent child, evidenced in his negative response to some of R.C. Rydell’s harsh antics, as well as in his reaction to the strange Remington neighbors. He learns from his Gramma that they mean no harm, so he tries not to tease them or treat them poorly, unlike R.C. His connection with Naomi also emphasizes that he is a bit more in tune with his emotions and conscience and he feels a certain comfort in being able to share some of his pain with her following his Gramma’s death.
