Pigs in Heaven Chapters 6–8 Summary & Analysis

Summary

Chapter 6: Thieves of Children

In a Cherokee law office, the secretary Jinny has Oprah Winfrey on as background entertainment. Law intern Annawake Fourkiller becomes interested when she sees a small Indian child on the show. Annawake guesses she is a Cherokee.

The child that Annawake and Jinny are watching is of course Turtle. On Oprah, Taylor ends up telling how she came to adopt Turtle. She was given Turtle in a parking lot. At the time Turtle was an underdeveloped, abused three- year-old. Turtle's mother was supposedly dead, and Taylor felt like she had to take her. The next summer, she went back to the Cherokee Nation to adopt Turtle officially.

During the time they have been watching the show, Annawake reveals that it is illegal to adopt Cherokee kids without tribal permission. We also learn a little bit about Annawake's background: she is a bright, beautiful Cherokee woman who went to law school in Phoenix before returning to the Nation to do legal work.

After work, Annawake returns to her humble living quarters at her sister-in- law 's house. Her home is chaotic, although Annawake's brother Dell is divorced from Millie, they keep having children together. Dell still hangs around, and Mille's fourth child is about to be born. We learn that Annawake's twin brother Gabriel, who was separated from the Nation and their family many years ago. Both Annawake and Dellon seem to blame themselves for his separation.

In the last section of Chapter Six, Annawake digs up an old box of her personal treasures; she finds a locket with a picture of her late parents and a photograph of Gabe with herself. She also finds the same advertisement of Sugar Hornbuckle that Alice remembers. Sugar was a friend of Annawake's mother. Annawake's commitment to her community and love for her lost brother suggest that her work always has personal motivations.

Chapter 7: A World of Free Breakfast

Franklin Turnbo, Cherokee lawyer and Annawake's boss, thinks of himself as a "born-again" Cherokee. He is half white, half-Cherokee, and never thought about his background until he began studying Native American law.

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