The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Part 2: Chapter 13 Summary

  • Jake and Singer arrive at the house and Portia shows them in.
  • Jake asks Willie to explain what happened to him and, in fits and starts, Willie tells his story.
  • Willie is scared to talk: he was let out of jail early due to his injury, and the jailer warned him that he could stay out as long as he didn't stir up trouble.
  • The white guards were quietly fired.
  • Willie also had a falling out with his two friends from jail and refuses to talk to them. Overall, not a great experience. In jail. Obviously.
  • Some visitors stop by to check on Willie and Doctor Copeland.
  • Get ready for more visitors: Highboy and Lancy arrive with food; Marshall Nicholls (the pharmacist) and John Roberts (a postman) also come by.
  • Roberts and Nicholls are very well spoken and try to talk to Jake. They think that Doctor Copeland "has not recognized fully enough certain elements of the different races and the situation." (2.13.64)
  • Jake starts to feel sick and gets up to find a bathroom, but he ends up in Doctor Copeland's bedroom. The two begin to talk and realize that they share many political beliefs. How about that?
  • They talk and argue for hours, though they don't really listen to one another – they sort of preach at each other. We can just picture it.
  • Jake goes off on rants, Doctor Copeland butts in to remind him of racial issues, Jake counters with the sufferings of the proletariat… this goes on for hours.
  • The two then decide to make plans of action, but they each shoot down the other's ideas.
  • Jake wants to do chain letters while Copeland wants to organize a big march, a demonstration.
  • Copeland thinks Jake's idea doesn't do enough, and Jake thinks Copeland's idea is crazy. Hmmm. More arguing, followed by some name-calling, and finally, Jake storms out.