110 pages • 3 hours read
Varian JohnsonThe Parker Inheritance
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 35-39Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 35 Summary
In Chapter 35, Reggie Bradley’s perspective is shared from 1957 Lambert. His childhood was spent with his grandmother; with very little money, “Reggie really did have it worse than a lot of his classmates” (217). Reggie’s appearance, as a light-skinned Black boy with gray eyes, also earned him negative attention from his classmates. With high school came sports, and Reggie soon earned a name for himself as an athlete under Coach Dub. When Reggie fell in love with Siobhan, he struggled with Coach Dub’s negative reaction. Even on the night of the tennis game, Coach Dub “told him to leave his daughter alone” (219).
After the game, Reggie is attacked by several white men. Facing a man with a knife, Reggie fights using a broken mop handle and manages to sink the stick into the attacker’s “eye socket” (220). Reggie is rescued by Coach Douglas, who finds him and helps him, as well as letting Reggie know that Marion Allen is the person whom Reggie had partially blinded. Coach Douglas also explains that Coach Dub and his family have fled to Maryland; Reggie feels frustrated that this means he will not be able to see Siobhan again. Coach Douglas takes him across state lines, telling Reggie that he has a plan to get him into the army.
When they arrive at a farmhouse in Mississippi, Reggie is confused. Coach Douglas explains that a long time ago, he had his identity switched by the people who own this farmhouse. Coach Douglas is actually “three-quarters white” (225). Coach Douglas says that Reggie is going to “become white” (226) and can join the military and then go to college afterwards. Reggie thinks about being able to get back with Siobhan and get back at the Allens, and he agrees to the plan.
Chapter 36 Summary
Candice is unable to sleep and waits until it’s six in the morning to call Brandon’s house. When she asks Juanita if she can speak to him, she finds out that “he’s on punishment for the next two days” (229). Disappointed that she can’t speak to her friend, Candice turns her attention to the puzzle of Reginald Bradley and James Parker; as she thinks, the phone rings, and Tori says that Candice can come over since Juanita has left.
When Candice arrives at Brandon’s house, she explains what she’s learned to Tori, who has agreed to “serve as an intermediary” (231) for the two friends. Candice doesn’t want to do the next steps without Brandon, so Tori goes to get him from upstairs; when he comes down, “he smile[s] at Candice and offer[s] her a slight wave, but [doesn’t] speak” (231). They call Ellie Farmer and get the true story about Reggie Bradley. After they get off the phone, Brandon goes back upstairs, and Candice confides in Tori about her father’s affair.
Chapter 37 Summary
On Tuesday, Brandon is released from punishment early and the two friends resume their investigation. Stressed for time, they decide to begin contacting “the people who received a letter like [Candice’s] grandmother” (237). The only one who Brandon is able to find information for is William Maynard, who was one of the white boys on the tennis team in 1957. They worry that he will be racist or unhelpful, but decide to move forward by sending an anonymous email to him.
William Maynard responds immediately by sending a phone number, but instead Candice and Brandon ask to video chat. They discuss the letter and William Maynard makes it clear that he knows about James Parker and that he had no part in the 1957 post-match attacks. Maynard explains that “there’s not a day that goes by where [he doesn’t] think about what those boys did to Dub and Reggie” (241). Candice asks if he will help them, but he avoids the question. Maynard says that they can’t contact him again. When they get off video chat, Brandon says, “He’s a racist coward… He doesn’t care about the city” (243).
Motivated by their conversation, Candice and Brandon prepare to go back to the library, but Milo is outside. Candice is prepared to be cautious, but Brandon urges her to leave anyway because they are running out of time to solve the mystery. Milo and his friends make homophobic and rude comments, so Brandon retorts, “Is Deacon Hawke still seeing your mom?” (244) After some more banter, Milo tries to swing at Brandon but misses. Brandon hits him in the stomach; when Candice shouts, “No!” (245), Brandon turns to look at her and Milo punches him in the face, knocking him to the sidewalk. Brandon doesn’t move.
Chapter 38 Summary
As Brandon tries to get up, Juanita rushes outside and gets off the phone—she had been talking to Anne. They’re going to take Brandon to the emergency room, but first Juanita chastises the two boys who stayed. Candice explains that there were two other boys, including Milo, who had left. In the backseat, Brandon cries while Candice holds his hand.
Anne meets them at the hospital and asks Candice to explain what had happened. Candice tells her everything about “how Milo and his friends bullied Brandon at school, and how it had continued during the summer” (247). Candice blames herself for Brandon getting punched; Anne comforts her and takes her to the cafeteria to eat lunch.
Chapter 39 Summary
Though there isn’t definitive proof, the doctor thinks that it’s likely that Brandon has a concussion. The next day, when Candice goes to visit Brandon, Juanita speaks to her briefly about how hard the summer has been for Brandon, suggesting that his “outbursts of late haven’t just been about Milo” (249). Candice goes upstairs and she and Brandon talk out some of their hard feelings about what has happened. Candice explains that she’s going to be able to stay another week in Lambert. Brandon tells Candice that she is his “only friend right now” (251), and Candice commits to being as good of a friend as possible, realizing that she needs to tell Brandon everything.
Candice begins to tell Brandon some of the secrets she has kept about the letter being in a box meant for her, as well as about the note on the back of the envelope. After Candice confides in him, Brandon responds by sharing that “Quincy’s gay” (252) and talking about how hard it is for some people to get over that. They talk about Brandon’s grandfather being disrespectful to him, and Brandon shares his idea to start a summer camp focused on sports for LGBTQIA children. Candice plays him her song on her dad’s iPod, and they both apologize to one another, feeling like closer friends than before.
Chapters 35-39 Analysis
As the novel gets close to the climax, Johnson reveals a core theme of the text: an individual’s choice to hide a certain identity to fit in. There are several examples of characters who do this throughout The Parker Inheritance. Both Coach Douglas and Reginald Bradley choose to pass as white to secure more stable futures for themselves; Brandon’s closest friend, Quincy, finally comes out as gay at school; and Candice consistently wonders whether Brandon is gay as well. Later, another character will also reveal a hidden identity. In all of these cases, the character who is hiding part of their identity does so in order to protect themselves or to feel like they can be more successful.
Since the novel itself is named after the false identities of one of the central characters, the revelation that several characters have altered who they are to fit in is critical to understanding some of the other themes of the text. Coach Douglas and Reggie both change their identities to be successful in a world that is racist and violent towards Black people; young boys like Quincy must deal with bullying and teasing if they share their true sexual orientation publicly. It seems that one of the lessons Varian Johnson would like readers to take from the novel is that making this kind of sacrifice is never truly healthy or positive for the person who chooses it: each character who hides something faces a consistent internal struggle as a result. Though Candice herself doesn’t face this kind of conflict, her observations of the people around her allows readers to think through their own perspectives on why a person might hide their identity as well as how that might feel.
Another interesting emerging aspect of The Parker Inheritance is the way that both Brandon and Candice practice (or fail to practice) emotional regulation, an important skill for children who are on the cusp of becoming young adults. Brandon gets in a fight with Milo because he can’t control himself from responding to Milo’s bullying behavior. As Juanita explains to Candice, this is really about him having “outbursts” (249) because of a lot of factors. As Brandon gets older, it is important for him to begin to get better at processing his emotions rather than having them lead to physical outbursts or shouting matches; Candice supports him with this growth by having a long conversation about how he is feeling, supporting him to share his inner thoughts and emotions.
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