Gilead: Pages 123-127 Summary & Analysis

The next time Jack comes over, John makes a point of behaving more cordially toward him. Jack seems amused by John’s effort, so John gives up and heads off to the church. He spends hours thinking and praying about Jack. Afterward, he knows he must try not only to act but to think graciously toward Jack, no matter how Jack sees through him. He has a lot more praying to do.

John has heard from both his father and his grandfather that when you encounter another person, it’s as if the Lord is asking you a question in that moment. That being the case, if you encounter antagonism, you’re free to not respond in kind; you have an opportunity to act according to grace instead.

John’s own recent failures have reminded him of this. He likes Calvin’s image of the individual as an actor on a stage with God as the audience. He thinks that in general, people think too little about God’s enjoyment of us, the enjoyment of a beloved child’s existence. Thinking about sons turns his thoughts back to Jack Boughton, who “is a piece of work.”

John’s instinct is to warn his son and his wife against Jack Boughton. Though by now, his son must understand that John can’t trust his own feelings on the subject of Jack. But it’s a grave matter for John. Maybe he simply needs to say that Jack’s character isn’t to be trusted, and nothing more than that.

John hasn’t written for a day or two. At night, he’s been having some discomfort and difficulty breathing. But there is no point in dwelling on problems that don’t have an earthly solution. His wife has sent the boy off to the neighbors, and he notices that she looks pale. She’s brought his writing and reading materials downstairs. Someone else has brought a tray for his glasses and pills and water. John doesn’t believe this is as serious as everyone else seems to think, but he could be wrong.

John feels much better after a nap. The family eats a casserole supper, and John gathers that the congregation was alerted; you’d have thought he died, he notes wryly. His son samples the different casseroles from John’s tray, joking that he can’t make up his mind until the food is nearly gone. John thinks of the time he gave the boy communion and wonders if his son does, too.