Washington Black

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Part 4, Chapters 10-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 4: “England, 1836”

Part 4, Chapter 10 Summary

The hanging still disturbs Wash, and he reflects that Willard had “lived his whole life in avoidable savagery” (337). Wash is newly determined to travel to Amsterdam to find Titch. Wishing to accompany him, Tanna invents an imaginary visit to her Aunt Judith so that Mr. Goff might let her go.

In Amsterdam, Wash and Tanna visit the specimen of a conjoined porpoise and then seek out Peter’s house. A manservant greets them at the door, and then a young man who identifies himself as Peter Haas, the son of Peter Haas, welcomes them inside after Wash mentions Mr. Wilde. The young Peter leads the old Peter out to meet them, and Peter and Wash embrace.

While young Peter translates, the two men exchange information about Titch. Peter explains that Titch has visited but is now gone, and that Titch was not himself while in Amsterdam. Titch has become obsessed with supernatural experiences and the astral plane, and according to Peter “has passed from a place of inquiry to a place of uncontested belief” (343). Peter last received a letter from Titch from Morocco, and encourages Wash and Tanna to seek him out there.

Part 4, Chapter 11 Summary

Later that night in bed, Tanna tells Wash about how Mr. Goff used to refuse to allow her to wear makeup or fine clothing. When Mr. Goff finally allowed her to dress as she wanted, she found that she was beautiful but uncomfortable with the way people looked at her. She describes its effects to Wash, conveying that “the more people looked, the more effaced I felt, as if I were disappearing” (349). Wash’s elaborate quest to find Titch exasperates Tanna, but she promises to go with him to Morocco.

Part 4, Chapter 12 Summary

When Wash and Tanna return home, Mr. Goff has recently discovered their ruse. While he is angry that they traveled to Amsterdam without his permission, the porpoise specimen they return with shocks Mr. Goff. Of their planned trip to Morocco, Wash writes that “to our surprise, Goff gave his blessing, even insisted” (353). Wash and Tanna prepare to go to Morocco and consider acquiring further specimens along their journey. Thinking about his anonymous work on the aquarium, Wash realizes that “I would have to find a way to make peace with the loss, or I would have to leave the whole enterprise behind and everyone connected with it” (355).

Part 4, Chapter 13 Summary

Wash and Tanna arrive in Marrakesh but are unable to find their guide. They stay and explore the city while waiting for a letter with advice from Peter. One day, their guide comes across them and recognizes Wash. The guide leads them to find Titch, and they come to a small settlement in the desert, “a few scattered dwellings, built almost as an afterthought at the desert’s edge” (359). A young boy leads them to a courtyard, and Wash recognizes Titch standing in its middle, “in the thin grey light […] trembling” (360).

Part 4, Chapters 10-13 Analysis

Wash’s visit to Amsterdam dredges up more ghosts from the past in the form of an aged Peter Haas and news about Titch’s recent travels. While Wash in some ways still idealizes Titch, after conversing with Peter he realizes that Titch has lost his way and may even be mad. Nevertheless, Wash is still determined to seek out Titch and confront him about the events of the past. While Peter, like Mrs. Wilde, seems in some ways like the relic of a past age, he is wise and kind even in his old age.

In Tanna’s discussion of her beauty and racial identity, she illustrates the ways in which appearance is an important but sometimes distracting aspect of social interaction. After applying makeup and dressing beautifully, Tanna feels as if she is disappearing and as if people can only see the surface of her. This mirrors the way Wash sometimes feels about his dark skin and disfiguring scars. Both characters wish for recognition of their intellectual and emotional attributes rather than their physical appearances.

At the conclusion of these chapters, Wash reunites with Titch, marking the end of a long struggle that began years and continents away. While their reunion might not be everything that Wash imagined, it seems as if he may finally be able to achieve closure and move on from the past.