Meridian | Part 3, Section 30 : Ending (Treasure) | Summary

Summary

In this chapter Truman and Meridian visit two elderly sisters, Margaret and Lucille, to try to register them to vote. They live in the house they grew up in, rarely leaving it.

Margaret is a morbidly obese woman who was a virgin until recently. At age 69 she took a lover and is now convinced that she is pregnant. Lucille, her younger sister, is appalled at what her sister has done. They both know that the man who had sex with Margaret and convinced her that she is pregnant is probably just after their property.

As Truman and Meridian learn this wild story, it is hard for them not to laugh. But they are respectful and agree to help Margaret burn the bed that has led to this tragic state of affairs for her. Then they take her to a doctor to confirm that she is not pregnant. Margaret's grateful response is to sign up to vote and to "do anything, young peoples," that they need.

Analysis

There has not been much humor in this novel, so this chapter is a bit of a relief. It also reinforces what Meridian and Truman learned from their adventure described in the last chapter. If you meet people where they are in life, you are more likely to convince them that you are actually interested in helping to make their lives better. They are regularly getting people to register to vote, without violence, without mayhem. They are getting to the heart of what Meridian actually discovered that day in the church in Atlanta: a sense of community that joins people together and makes them feel safe and hopeful.