Manley Pointer Timeline and Summary
MoreManley Pointer Timeline and Summary
- On Friday, before lunch, Manley arrives, tries to sell Mrs. Hopewell a Bible, and gets himself invited to stay to eat.
- After lunch, he hangs out with Mrs. Hopewell for a few hours.
- As he's leaving the farm he encounters Hulga, and using his "You ever ate a chicken that was two days old?" pickup line, lands a date with her the following day (which is the day the story is set) at 10:00 AM.
- Come date time, Manley hides behind a bush and pops out from behind it when he sees Hulga.
- As they walk, he expresses interest in her wooden leg and kisses her.
- They talk about God, nothing, and damnation.
- Manley suggests they find a quiet place, and Hulga leads him to the barn loft.
- More kissing ensues, and he stealthily pockets her glasses.
- Manley asks Hulga if she loves him.
- He wants her to say she loves him, and also to prove it by letting him remove her leg.
- After she succumbs on both counts, Manley opens his Bible to reveal its true contents: booze, cards, and condoms.
- Hulga is not impressed and insists on having her leg back.
- Manley soon exits the barn loft, taking his stuff, and Hulga's leg and glasses with him.
- Before he goes, he makes sure she knows he's "been believing in nothing ever since [he] was born" (142).