Part 1, Chapters 1–3 Summary and Analysis
Part 1, Chapter 1
Avatara “Avey” Johnson, a sixty-four-year-old widow who is on a Caribbean cruise with two friends, is only a few days into their planned seventeen-day journey when she decides to immediately return home. She packs quickly yet quietly during the night, never waking her companions, Thomasina and Clarice, as she tosses her clothes into suitcases. Avey feels as though her mind is disconnected from her body as she packs, envisioning her release from the ship when the ship arrives at the next port of call later that morning.
Over three years ago, Avey’s daughter Marion had questioned Avey’s need to pack six suitcases full of clothing for the first cruise Avey took with her friends. Marion was critical of Avey’s desire to vacation with “a bunch of white people” and for allowing Thomasina to plan their trips, insisting that her mother didn’t even like Thomasina. As she considered her youngest child’s petulant attitude, Avey became convinced that her own mother would have slapped her for taking such a tone and that forty years ago, she would have done the same herself. Now she felt content to simply act as though Marion said nothing at all unpleasant.
Marion reminded her mother of the trips she had tried to persuade her to take, such as to Brazil and Ghana. She described her mother’s vacations as “banal” and unimaginative. Avey’s other children, Sis and Annawilda, had encouraged their mother’s excursions, which they hoped would distract Avey from thinking about her husband and their father, Jerome “Jay” Johnson. At the time of the first trip, he had been dead for approximately a year.
Despite Marion’s protests, Avey fell in love with taking cruises during that first trip. As soon as Thomasina suggested another cruise, Avey accepted. Marion thus began keeping her complaints about the trips to herself.
After finishing her rapid packing, Avey carefully lines up her six suitcases by the door, ready for the steward. She can see the faint outline of an island beyond the glow of the deck lights: their next port of call, and the place where Avey will abandon her itinerary.
Part 1, Chapter 2
Thomasina awakens to a seemingly unexplainable scene and begins asking Avey why she is dressed so early and why her suitcases are placed by the door. Avey doesn’t answer her immediately, making Thomasina wait as she instead studies the landscape of the island from their window. Encouraged by the mountains and morning sunlight, she feels certain that a plane will be able to take her to New York that day and braces herself for Thomasina’s “tirade.”
Avey explains in a matter-of-fact tone that she has decided to cut her cruise short and return home to North White Plains. As expected, Thomasina is outraged. On some level, Avey can sympathize with Thomasina’s shock. Yet she also reflects that she hasn’t felt herself in days—not sick, exactly, but uncomfortable enough to prefer to return home. Thomasina summons Clarice while attempting to take in Avey’s announcement. As she relays the news of Avey’s imminent departure, Clarice is stunned and asks whether Avey is sick. This further upsets Thomasina, who insists that there “ain’ not a thing wrong” with Avey and that if she truly felt ill, she would have visited the doctor.
Despite Thomasina’s fury, Avey remains steadfast in her plans. She is convinced that a taxi will be awaiting her on the island and that she will find a seat on a plane bound for New York that day. Unable to rattle Avey’s determination, Thomasina turns her intense anger toward Clarice, who backs...
(This entire section contains 1386 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
into a wall. Thomasina rails about the money Avey is losing, which is at least $1,500 for the cruise and another sum for a flight to New York. The idea is so preposterous that she becomes convinced that Avey has lost “her cotton-pickin’ mind.”
Thomasina continues to loudly insult Avey, ending with one final attempt to provoke her: she pointedly proclaims that “it . . . don’t . . . pay . . . to . . . go . . . no . . . place . . . with . . . niggers!” This provocation causes Avey to smile in a kind of self-congratulation, and she calmly picks up her purse and gloves and prepares to leave. Avey crosses the room to offer an apology to Clarice for her sudden departure but finds that she cannot; something about her friend’s mute acceptance frightens Avey. Instead, she simply conveys that she will send a steward for her bags and closes the door behind her as Thomasina’s tirade continues.
Part 1, Chapter 3
As Avey Johnson makes her way to the elevators, she is thankful she didn’t mention her odd ailments to Thomasina, certain her friend would have been convinced that she had “lost her mind.” Still, the vivid dream Avey experienced three nights prior, following many years of hardly dreaming at all, had consumed her mind.
The dream centered around her great-aunt Cuney, who insisted on calling Avey “Avatara.” When she was a child, Avey had been sent to stay with her great-aunt in South Carolina for several years during the month of August. At least twice a week, the two of them trekked to Ibo Landing, where the old woman recounted the story of the Ibos. According to legend, boats brought “pure-born Africans” who could foretell the future. When the Ibos emerged from the boats, they paused on the shore to study the future of America. They had visions of slavery, emancipation, and the struggles of modern times. Instead of walking forward, the entire group turned around and walked back out onto the river, “like the water was solid ground” and despite being chained by iron. The Ibos began singing as they walked away across the water, and their voices could be heard all over the island.
Avey had listened attentively to this story for four consecutive summers before asking a crucial question: “How come they didn’t drown, Aunt Cuney?” Her question visibly disappointed her great-aunt, who was saddened by Avey’s doubts. Aunt Cuney asked Avey a question of her own in reply: “Did it say Jesus drowned when he went walking on the water in that Sunday School book your momma always sends with you?”
Aboard the ship, Aunt Cuney summoned Avey in a dream. As she urged Avey to move forward, Avey grew increasingly annoyed with her. Finally, Avey turned to go; this infuriated Aunt Cuney, whose face became distorted with the realization that Avey was attempting to defy her wishes. Avey began hitting her great-aunt, who returned blow for blow. As the fight continued, Avey recognized many Black families gathering to view the spectacle. She continued to pummel the old woman while all of North White Plains watched.
Analysis
Readers are introduced to Avey in medias res; this creates an effect of disorientation that reflects the same sense of turbulence Avey is experiencing as she quickly packs. Avey’s personality is passive and generally peaceful. She avoids conflict with both Marion and Thomasina by refusing to respond to provocation. Instead, Avey seems to manage conflict by retreating within herself, planning for positive outcomes in the face of hostility. Thus far, the world has demanded that Avey understand her position and conform to expectations. She thus began traveling with Thomasina, who is only happy while dictating the details of their plans. Avey has accepted and even enjoyed these trips in the past, but she has experienced a drastic and sudden internal shift when the novel begins. Still unwilling to directly confront Thomasina, Avey chooses to pack her things in the middle of the night. She understands that she will be forced to answer for her actions the following morning, but her resolve to leave the ship and her friends is clear through her determined focus. When Thomasina peppers Avey with questions the following morning, Avey keeps her responses direct and brief. She isn’t looking for support and is willing to set forth on an unknown path in order to resolve the growing sense of unease that has been plaguing her aboard the ship.
