Meridian | Part 2, Section 24 : Truman Held (Two Women) | Summary

Summary

When Camara dies from her injuries, Truman sends for Meridian. She comes to help both him and Lynne in this difficult time. She moves between his "lovely bright studio uptown" to Lynne's "tiny hovel downtown." It is a miserable month for Meridian because her two friends "drain her dry."

The month does have some good things. One is that Meridian's feelings for Truman—not sexual, but feelings of pure love—return. She has moments of true friendship with Lynne as well, and they share their good memories of the South. They all try to work through their grief over the tragic, brutal death of a child and use love to "purge all thoughts of blame."

On Meridian's last day, she says goodbye to Lynne. She doesn't have words to match Lynne's declaration that she belongs nowhere now, has no home, so Meridian simply hugs her. Lynne falls asleep thinking of the South.

Analysis

Grief is palpable in this chapter: A child has died "after horrible things were done to her." As Lynne says, it is not just any child—it is her child. Truman and Lynne and Meridian have done everything to change things. The child's death happened in New York City instead of the South, where things like this are more typical. It is evident that the country still has a long way to go with civil rights. The grief extends beyond this one tragedy to the tragedy of the whole condition of things.