Part II, How He Saw Me—In Which He Has a Dream 

Summary: Part II, How He Saw Me

Narrated by Will, based on his father’s recollections, this chapter describes Edward’s reactions to having an infant son in the house. He defers to Sandra in all areas of caregiving but sees his job as a father as one of filling his son Will up with the virtues he possesses. Edward travels for work and is only home on the weekends, and returning home, he often feels like a stranger. As Will grows, Edward feels himself shrink. Edward sees the town where they live as a reflection of himself and all that he does, and as something he will pass along to Will.

Summary: Part II, How He Saved My Life

Will describes two times Edward saves his life. Once, Will while collecting rocks in a ditch behind their house, water rushes in. Will would have been washed away if Edward had not plucked him out by the shirt. The second time, Will is on a swing at a new house and pumps so hard that the whole frame releases, and he flies toward a picket fence. Edward grabs Will out of the air and sets him safely on the ground. 

Summary: Part II, His Immortality

When Will is nine, Edward climbs up a ladder onto their roof. Suddenly, he falls two stories into a shrub. Will thinks Edward is dead. He slowly approached Edward’s body, but instead of being dead, Edward winks and jokes about Will believing he was dead. 

Summary: Part II, His Greatest Power

This chapter describes Edward’s ability to make Will laugh, especially right before he leaves on one of his many trips. Edward travels to every country and makes friends in every city. Will recalls a funny story Edward tells about a man who leaves his cat with a neighbor who later tells him his father is on the roof. Will admits that this is how he likes to remember Edward: falling off a roof, smiling, and winking. 

Summary: Part II, In Which He Has a Dream

Edward dreams about his death. In the dream, a crowd of people gathers outside their house. They set up camp there for many weeks until Sandra asks Will to ask them to leave. In the middle sits an older man in a fishing hat. He is pleased when Will tells him that Edward is still swimming and announces it to the crowd. When Will asks the crowd to leave, the man admits that everyone will be lost. Edward appears at a window and waves at the crowd. The people tell Will that Edward helped them all and that they each have a story to tell about his generosity. When Will asks the man in the cap how Edward helped him, he answers that Edward made him laugh and tells Will one of Edward’s jokes.

Analysis: Part II, How He Saw Me—In Which He Has a Dream

The cluster of chapters that conclude Part II contains short tales about Will’s early memories of his father, all of which paint Edward as larger than life and immortal, even though he is dying in the present time. Edward’s dream, recalled in detail, is about his death, but it is a dream which praises his accomplishments and exaggerates the number of people whose lives he has changed or even saved. The dream is a wish, a hope that people from all over will gather to celebrate the life of this great man. In the dream, Edward is not ill. He looks well and still swims every day. The people who gather at his house and stay in his yard for weeks love him and are grateful for him. They do not want to leave. The strange man in the fishing cap tells Will something that is not a surprise: He loves Edward for making him laugh. Ironically, the reason that Will resents his father, his stubborn sense of humor, is the reason that the leader of this group of mourners reveres him.

Readers may note there is a pattern in the way chapters are titled and the type of information provided by each. The “In Which He Has a Dream” chapter echoes and builds on elements about Edward that are revealed in earlier “In Which” chapters. These chapters focus on four distinct episodes that involve very imaginative recollections in which Edward is the hero. He understands animals in a way that no one else can. He catches an enormous fish and, while underwater, sees those who have drowned in the flood. He fights for and wins the love of the most beautiful woman on campus. These episodes are based on fact but exaggerate the truth into fantasy. All are stories about Edward retold by his son. 

The pattern is repeated in the “His” chapters, each of which reveals some detail about Edward that makes him godlike, possessing abilities that others do not and saving himself and others through heroic acts. For example, “His Immortality” describes Edward on top of a roof, like some kind of superhero, an explicit image of the immortality for which he yearns. 

In these chapters, Edward becomes a father, a role that is central to the novel’s main conflict and major themes. However, for Edward, fatherhood is merely an extension of who he is in the world, not a new experience. Fatherhood does not change Edward’s life much. He continues to travel, seek adventures, conduct business, and make friends. He sees his family on weekends and remains somewhat aloof, always mysterious, always the jokester, never the advisor, close companion, or confidant. Edward’s relationship with Will is superficial and light, which maddens the older Will who longs for more. Edward sees his role as a father as a “filler,” someone who will fill his son with stories, memories, jokes, and imaginings. At this point in the novel, the tension between father and son is building to its highest point, leaving readers to wonder if Will will ever achieve the satisfaction and deep connection with Edward that he so desperately wants and needs.