66 pages • 2 hours read
John GrishamThe Rainmaker
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1995A 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 21-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary
Rudy goes to the Shelby County Justice Center to observe Cliff’s court appearance. Kelly doesn’t show up, and so all charges against Cliff are dropped, though the judge does warn Cliff that if such charges are levied against him again then it won’t matter whether Kelly is there or not. The judge also tells Cliff he ought to divorce Kelly before he winds up killing her.
Deck tells Rudy to stay away from Kelly. He also tells Rudy about an FBI investigation into Bruiser and Prince.
Bruiser tells Rudy that Great Benefit, through Leo F. Drummond and Tinley Britt, have filed a motion to have the case dismissed. Rudy needs to read a 63-page brief and prepare for the date set by Judge Hale to hear arguments for the motion. Rudy gets right to work.
Deck tells Rudy more about what’s going on with the FBI. Bruiser had worked closely with another lawyer named David Roy. David quit being a lawyer and opened a strip club. David has been arrested, and it appears that he will talk to the cops about Bruiser’s involvement in certain illicit areas of business.
At 4 o’clock in the morning, Rudy gets a call from Deck, who is coming by to pick him up at Bruiser’s direction. There has been an accident on the river: a paddlewheel boat was struck by another boat and sank. It’s a possible gold mine. Deck and Rudy are not the only lawyers on the scene trying to speak to the grieving victims and families. One person has just been confirmed dead. Rudy is sickened by the tragedy and the lawyers trying to sell themselves amid it all. He runs through downtown Memphis to get away.
Chapter 22 Summary
Rudy awaits the results of his exam. Miss Birdie puts him to work in the yard. With all the sedentary work he’s been doing lately, Rudy welcomes the change. They quit working at 6 o’clock and Miss Birdie makes a veggie pizza. She also quickly announces that she forgot to give Rudy his mail. She hands him an already opened letter. Rudy is so pleased to discover that he’s passed the bar that he can’t stay angry with Miss Birdie for opening his mail and holding onto it.
When he finds the section in the paper that lists those who passed the bar, he doesn’t see Booker’s name. He doesn’t see his ex’s name either, which makes him smile with schadenfreude.
The Dan Van Landel case ended in a settlement. Rudy and Deck aren’t supposed to get any of the money, but Bruiser is feeling generous and gives them both $5,500. Bruiser asks Rudy if they’re ready to meet with Judge Hale tomorrow, and Rudy says they are.
Deck and Rudy have lunch. Deck sees the writing on the walls. Bruiser is in trouble and he knows it. Deck wants that he and Rudy quit before things get really bad. Deck wants the two of them to go in business together. Rudy hesitates but tells Deck he will consider it. Deck tells Rudy that the office is under surveillance.
Chapter 23 Summary
Rudy struggles to sleep, worrying about the meeting with Judge Hale and about Bruiser’s legal troubles. There is no sign of Bruiser at the office, so Deck drives Rudy to court. When they arrive, Judge Hale asks where Bruiser is; Rudy responds that he doesn’t know. Leo F. Drummond argues that Rudy shouldn’t be allowed to represent the Blacks in that forum; he has passed hasn’t received his law license or been sworn in. Judge Hale allows Rudy to proceed.
Drummond, who is being paid by the hour, rambles on for a long time. Rudy is concise and makes a good argument for the case to be tried. Judge Hale wants to see the two of them in his chambers.
Hale tells Rudy that he is considering dismissing the case, and he leaves to use the restroom. Drummond informs Rudy that Great Benefit is ready to settle for $75,000. Hale returns, and then Drummond needs to use the restroom. Hale acts flabbergasted at Drummond’s offer and encourages Rudy to take the deal. Rudy quickly realizes that Drummond and Hale are conspiring together.
Deck can’t find Bruiser. At the office, the secretary is in tears. Deck and Rudy leave for lunch.
Chapter 24 Summary
The feds raid Bruiser’s offices. Deck and Rudy have already removed their files from the building. Rudy thinks about Prince and hopes Prince got away.
Rudy meets with Dot again, explaining that Great Benefit is offering a settlement of $75,000. They talk to Donny Ray about it. Not one of the Blacks cares for the money. They want revenge on Great Benefit. Rudy knows that it would be easy for him to convince the Blacks to accept the settlement, but he doesn’t feel right about doing that, even though he could really use the money.
Rudy tracks down Kelly and surprises her as she is waiting for her doctor’s appointment. He tells her that he is there because his back hurts. They chat pleasantly, and Rudy leaves Kelly his card and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
Rudy goes to meet with Dr. Kord, the oncologist who treated Donny Ray. Rudy leaves a three-page report with Dr. Kord’s receptionist, informing him about the trial. Rudy needs the doctor as a witness.
Rudy, who has accepted Deck’s offer to go into business together, heads to their new offices in a rougher part of town that Bruiser’s were. The two watch a news report about the indictment against Bruiser and Prince. Both Rudy and Deck worry that the feds might want to question the two of them.
Chapter 25 Summary
Deck calls Rudy early with the news that Judge Harvey Hale has died from a heart attack. Hale didn’t sign any paperwork to dismiss the Blacks’ case. There is also now the good possibility that Tyrone Kipler will be called to replace him.
Rudy has lunch with Booker, and they discuss Tyrone. Booker is sure Kipler will be interested; Kipler hates insurance companies. Booker has appealed his exam because he didn’t pass by only one point. Rudy tells Booker what he knows about Bruiser and Prince.
Chapters 21-25 Analysis
Grisham critiques the justice system in a couple of ways in Chapters 21-25. Cliff Riker gets off scot-free for sending Kelly to the hospital after breaking her ankles with a baseball bat. Everyone in the courtroom knows that Cliff is a violent personality and repeat offender. The judge even says to him, “Why don’t you divorce her before you kill her?” (237), yet he has to allow Cliff, because Kelly isn’t present to press charges, to walk out and go back home.
Grisham also critiques judges like Hale, who obviously doesn’t care about injustice. Hale favors tort reform, which would limit the ability for victims to seek restitution from loss, damage, or injury against those who may or may not have been liable. Judge Hale is not the kind of judge who would award damages to the Blacks; he would most likely rule in favor of Great Benefit and is, in fact, a close friend of Drummond’s. Hale’s death is a timely deus ex machina: If he hadn’t died, the case most likely would have been settled or dismissed.
Judge Hale’s death isn’t the only example of Rudy’s excellent luck. Rudy passes the bar exam in the nick of time; Prince’s and Bruiser’s criminal ways have finally caught up to them. Deck lends Rudy with the wisdom he has acquired over many years of experience and advises Rudy to remove all important files from his office. This savvy decision saves the Blacks’ case from falling into the hands of the federal investigators. Now that Rudy has passed the bar, he can take the case himself, something he wanted to do from the very beginning. The fact that the case is no longer about a financial reward, and more about seeking justice for Donny Ray, shows Rudy’s evolution as a character. With Bruiser’s demise approaching, Rudy wants to separate himself as much as possible from the sickening display of lawyers flocking to the scene of a tragic accident.
Related Titles
By John Grisham
