The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Chapters 21–24 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapters 21–24

Chapter 21: The Marble

As Dodo continues to struggle at Pennhurst, his bond with Monkey Pants grows stronger. The boys come up with a system of symbols and mannerisms to communicate with one another. Monkey Pants shows Dodo his marble and it fills Dodo with a sense of hope, reminding him of the marbles Chona had given out to children at the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. The boys eventually develop an entire non-verbal language. Monkey Pants is able to spell out whole words to Dodo with a series of taps, using certain fingers on the side of his crib. The breakthrough is thrilling for the boys, who can finally understand each other fully. A man appears asking for Dodo, and Dodo grows frightened. After the man leaves, Monkey Pants identifies the fearsome individual as Son of Man, and warns Dodo that he is dangerous.

Chapter 22: Without a Song

Moshe, gutted by Chona's death, closes the Heaven & Earth grocery store and, with help from Nate and Addie, begins to clean it out. He is suspicious of Doc's version of events but is hesitant to speak out and risk trouble with the police for him or Nate, who has always been extremely wary of getting mixed up with cops. Nate continues to avoid visiting Dodo and barely speaks to Moshe.

Meanwhile, Isaac arrives from Philadelphia with Malachi, who brings with him the tiny leather cowboy boots with the Star of David that he had made for Moshe. As trouble brews in Europe, Malachi has decided to return to the States, and he also wanted to visit his dear friend after hearing of Chona's passing. At the store, Isaac tries to offer Nate and Addie money to thank them for helping his family and offers to hire a lawyer to help Dodo. However, Nate declines, arguing that the “law in this land is what the white man says it is” and that in the end, they'd just find a way to lock Dodo back up. Isaac also urges the couple to tell him what really happened between Chona and Doc and insinuates that they should speak out. Nate adamantly refuses both Isaac's suggestion and money, and the man leaves to question Bernice.

Chapter 23: Bernice's Bible

Later, Bernice goes to visit her brother Fatty at his jook joint. The siblings aren't close, their relationship strained due to a dispute over ownership of their father's house. They briefly argue about past resentments and Bernice expresses anger that Fatty did not attend Chona's funeral. Moving on, Bernice explains to him what truly happened with Reverend Spriggs. She reveals that Reverend Spriggs only told the Black man from the state about Dodo because the man didn't truly care about catching the boy. Instead, he would tell Spriggs when people from the state were coming to town and Spriggs would warn Bernice to hide Dodo. Doc's discovery of the boy at the grocery store was purely coincidental.

Bernice then changes the subject to the water pipes that their father Shad laid by a nearby well. She asks Fatty to locate those pipes, and in return gives him a bible with $900 and a two-page note tucked into its pages. In his excitement over the money, he largely ignores the notes and tears part of the second page, letting it fall to the ground. He later regrets his carelessness.

Read an analysis of a quote by Bernice in this chapter.

Chapter 24: Duck Boy

As Dodo's rescue operation grows, Paper assembles Nate, Addie, Fatty, Rusty, and Miggy at her house. Miggy is hesitant to attend, especially when she sees Nate. Miggy alludes to something that Nate did for her family back in Hemlock Row but Nate coolly assures her that they do not owe him anything. Miggy speaks of the differences between the Lowgods and the people from Chicken Hill. She says there are two families left on the Row: the Lowgods and the Loves. However, pointedly glancing at Nate, she remarks that there are not many Loves left. Observing this interaction, Fatty remembers that he once learned that Nate's real name was Nate Love.

Miggy begins to tell everyone what she knows about Pennhurst, where she works as a cleaner. She makes it clear that she is simply offering a glimpse into her own life and work. She is careful to avoid any mention of involvement in Nate and the others' plan, emphasizing that she is not tied to whatever might be unfolding. However, it is a subtle but unmistakable message that her insights will help them with their scheme to free Dodo. She shares stories of the horrors she has witnessed at Pennhurst and the inhumanity with which the attendants treat the patients. She tells them of Son of Man, a Lowgod and a twisted individual who works at the asylum, demanding that all patients bend to his will. She once witnessed him terrorize a young child in the ward, whom she calls Duck Boy. She had warned Son of Man to back off and he had made her life hell in return. After heavy abuse from Son of Man, Duck Boy went missing.

Using a cat and mouse analogy, Miggy draws a map in her pie, clearly showing them how to get into the ward without being taught. She tells them of the tunnels that surround Pennhurst. Nowadays, they are empty and unused but there are rumors that Duck Boy used the tunnels to escape. However, they are highly complicated, and you'd need a thorough understanding of their layout in order to navigate them. Miggy goes on to explain that Pennhurst grows all of its own food except eggs. The Egg Man is in charge of supplying the institution with eggs from a nearby farm by 6AM every morning. Miggy suspects that the Egg Man uses the tunnels to get around. She acknowledges that Duck Boy may have escaped on the Egg Man's cart in order to make it through the tunnels and out to the railroad. Miggy also mentions that the Egg Man is a Lowgod, and Nate asks if the Egg Man brings Son of Man his eggs every day. Miggy replies that Nate should ask the man himself, revealing that Son of Man knows Nate.

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