61 pages • 2 hours read
Tiffany D. JacksonThe Weight of Blood
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 3, Chapters 16-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 3, Chapter 16 Summary
The podcast interviews Wendy, who now lives in a different state under a different name due to death threats. Wendy says she stopped by the Barn on prom night to meet Kenny before the afterparty. She assumes Maddy died in the fires, but her body was never found. Wendy says that after the fires, she went home. They tracked her using GPS and know she went to Greenville; she claims she was dropping someone off at a hotel, but that person wasn’t Maddy.
Kenny and Wendy almost have sex in his car, but he is not in the mood and drops her off. He then goes on a drive and finds himself outside Maddy’s house. He waits for a moment and she comes outside, bringing him homemade pound cake. They discuss cooking, constellations, and how silence is nice. They almost kiss, but Maddy goes back into her house.
David Portman’s book says that after prom, cell phones, radios, compasses, and GPSes wouldn’t work in Springville, for reasons unknown.
Kenny daydreams about Maddy coming to the University of Alabama with him. Kenny’s dad walks in and catches him reading a book; he’s furious. Mr. Scott says prom and Maddy are distracting Kenny from “the game” and that it would be better for Kenny’s image if he kept dating Wendy.
A news story from after prom in 2014 says that Kenny’s body wasn’t found, but he is presumed dead after the fires.
Part 3, Chapter 17 Summary
Maddy has altered her dress so that it fits perfectly. She wears a brooch, applies makeup, and fixes her hair. Her father chastises her for being a “harlot” and “jezebel,” but Maddy thinks she looks exactly like the “modest” characters in the movies he’s always praising. He begs her to stay and pray because if she leaves, he’s afraid the other kids will harm her. He says he kept her sheltered and didn’t want people to know she’s biracial because she would be punished for something she can’t control: her father’s “sin” of having premarital, interracial sex. Maddy tells Papa that some people are good and she won’t get hurt. She pins him in place with her powers so he can’t stop her from leaving with Kenny.
David Portman’s book mentions that before both proms, kids would caravan down Main Street in their outfits so other people could watch. However, in 2014, it was more like a funeral procession because, unbeknownst to the kids, most of them were about to die.
Part 3, Chapter 18 Summary
The podcast discusses prom: The white-only prom and the integrated prom were happening on the same night and close to each other, separated by railroad tracks. The Black Student Union, supervised by Mrs. Morgan, held their protest outside the country club. Four police cars were also there for potential crowd control, along with two news crews. About 40 students attended the white prom, and the “all-together prom” had about 80 (293). The transformer station for Springville was about a mile away, and the power plant was five miles away.
Kenny pulls into the parking lot for prom. They consider leaving, but Maddy has always wanted to attend a dance. Kenny promises to not let anything bad happen, and they go inside. They spend most of the time chatting and admiring the star-themed decorations but also slow dance together. Chris and Charlotte arrive and notice that Kenny, who still has a girlfriend, is being excessively affectionate with Maddy. Kenny only wants to prevent anyone from bullying Maddy. Kenny tells his friends they’re leaving early. He shares with Maddy that he no longer plans on going to the afterparty and that he wants to be with her instead of Wendy.
Charlotte texts Wendy a picture of Kenny with Maddy so that she can see it’s inappropriate. Wendy decides to go pick Kenny up so they can head to the afterparty early.
Part 3, Chapter 19 Summary
Sheriff West, cranky because he hasn’t eaten dinner yet, is at the protest outside the white prom. His son, a deputy, wanted to use riot gear, but West said no because “they’re carrying goddamn posters, not AK-47s” (309). West looks forward to prom being over and things returning to normal. There are several officers there whom West knows and trusts, but he’s worried about Officer Ross, a new hire who was released from his previous job. Ross demands the kids back up even though they haven’t crossed the line. West asks Mrs. Morgan if she can stop the protest, but she argues that the kids have a right to free speech. They agree not to cause trouble for each other. West’s son is also worried about Ross and speaks to him privately. West warns the cops against getting violent and then goes home to eat. He doesn’t plan on leaving home again that night.
When it’s time to vote for the king and queen, Maddy sees her own name listed. She doesn’t want to vote for Kenny and herself because she doesn’t want to have to go onstage. Kenny convinces her to vote for them. After prom, they plan to get pizza and look at the stars.
Kayleigh arrives and greets Charlotte, who is surprised to see Kayleigh at the integrated prom because she’d said she was going to the white prom. Charlotte was about to count the ballots for prom queen and king, but Kayleigh offers to do it for her. She secretly rigs the election with extra photocopied ballots so that Maddy and Kenny win.
Part 3, Chapter 20 Summary
Jules arrives with Brady at the integrated prom, and they sneak in unnoticed. Jules still thinks the prank will be well received despite her previous experiences. They sneak backstage and listen as Maddy and Kenny are announced as winners. Kenny kisses Maddy. He loves her and doesn’t care that everyone is watching and will tell Wendy. She kisses him back, and everyone cheers. They go onstage, and pictures are taken. Jules and Brady use a toy drone to make the paint fall.
Part 3, Chapters 16-20 Analysis
The novel references contemporary protests and events similar to those held by Black Lives Matter in real life, but the organization in the book is called Black Lives Black Pride instead. The book also references acts of racial injustice from real life, such as police brutality against unarmed Black people, although the novel doesn’t use real names. This national movement inspired students at Maddy’s school, such as Kali (who starts the Black Student Union) and the student who recorded the incident in Mrs. Morgan’s class, to prove that incidents of racism are real. These events mimic real life because the prevalence of smartphones means cameras are everywhere, and viral videos of racism and bullying frequently go viral. The novel also mimics reality in that many people hesitate to believe what they hear unless the claims are bolstered by video evidence or something equally compelling. Skeptics refused to believe that Maddy had magic powers because they were never caught on video, so the witnesses could have all been lying.
The theme of Power, Race, and Racism in the Community is also developed because it’s clear that Jules and Jason inherit many of their specific racist ideas from their families, and racist ideology often exists in the dominant culture’s traditions. For example, Jules’s parents both make racist remarks in front of her and set the expectation that both covert and overt racism are acceptable. Jules even gets the paint prank idea from listening to her dad and his friends reminisce. Each person is responsible for unpacking what they’ve been taught and examining any toxic ideologies, but adults have a responsibility to pass on values that will benefit the next generation rather than perpetuate harm. There is not one specific person who is solely responsible for the prom night tragedy; rather, there’s a complex web of culpability that is deeply related to power dynamics in the community.
The fact that Jules still believes people at integrated prom will think her scheme to dump paint on the prom queen is funny suggests a deep level of cognitive dissonance and denial; she has not, as her father insisted, learned her lesson. At this point, she may not even care whether or not her prank is well received as long as she makes a racist statement and gets revenge against Maddy. Ironically, she is not the one who exacts revenge, and most of her friends die in the carnage that she causes (albeit not single handedly).
Along with the novel’s horror plot, there is a romance plot, which is full of irony like many romantic comedies are. Maddy, the most bullied girl in school, attends prom with Kenny, the most popular boy in school, who already has a serious girlfriend. This date is set up as a publicity stunt, but against the reader’s expectations, Kenny and Maddy fall in love. Through the romantic subplot, the author develops The Possibility for Redemption and Change—for both Kenny and Maddy, the realization that someone can love and accept their true selves is healing and provides an opportunity for true liberation and joy.
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By Tiffany D. Jackson
