Not Without Laughter · Chapter
Storm explained
A cyclone strikes Stanton, terrifying Aunt Hager and Sandy.
What happens
A cyclone strikes Stanton, terrifying Aunt Hager and Sandy. They take shelter in their home as the storm tears off their porch. Sandy worries about his mother Annjee, who is late returning from work. After the storm, they learn that Mrs. Gavitt's niece has died, and Aunt Hager helps comfort the grieving family. Sandy waits alone in the dark until his mother finally arrives and carries him home.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Generational Conflict
The storm highlights the family's interdependence and anxieties: Aunt Hager prays for her daughters, Annjee worries about Jimboy, and Sandy fears for his mother's safety.
Poverty and Survival
The family's vulnerability is underscored by their lack of a storm cellar, the destruction of their porch, and Aunt Hager's unpaid nursing work for the community.
Community and Laughter as Resilience
Despite the disaster, the community gathers to help the grieving, and Aunt Hager is called upon for her nursing skills, showing solidarity in crisis.
Characters to notice
- Aunt Hager Williams
Aunt Hager senses the storm coming, prays for her children, and later helps comfort Mrs. Gavitt's niece after the cyclone.
- Sandy
Sandy clings to his grandmother during the storm, fears for his mother's safety, and waits alone on the steps until Annjee arrives.
- Annjee
Annjee returns home late after the storm; she prays for her husband Jimboy and carries Sandy home from the steps.
- Jimboy
Jimboy is mentioned as absent and unaccounted for; Annjee prays for his safety during the cyclone.
- Tempy
Tempy is mentioned as being safe after the storm, according to Aunt Hager's conversation.
- Harriett
Harriett is mentioned as working in the country; Aunt Hager prays she has not been harmed by the storm.
Key passages
“We was just startin’ out fo’ Mis’ Carter’s cellar, me an’ Sandy. But de Lawd was with us! He held us back! Praise His name! We ain’t harmed, none of us—’ceptin’ I don’t know ’bout ma Harriett at de club.”
Aunt Hager tells Annjee that she and Sandy were about to go to Mrs. Carter's cellar when the storm hit, but God protected them; she is unsure about Harriett's safety.
Aunt Hager expresses relief and faith after the cyclone, while voicing concern for her daughter Harriett.
“Sandy, we ain’t had no word yet from your father since he left. I know he goes away and stays away like this and don’t write, but I’m sure worried. Hope the cyclone ain’t passed nowhere near wherever he is, and I hope ain’t nothin’ hurt him.”
Annjee confides in Sandy that she has not heard from Jimboy and fears the cyclone may have endangered him.
Annjee's anxiety about Jimboy's absence and the storm's reach reflects the family's emotional strain.
“All the neighborhood, white or colored, called his grandmother when something happened. She was a good nurse, they said, and sick folks liked her around. Aunt Hager always came when they called, too, bringing maybe a little soup that she had made or a jelly. Sometimes they paid her and sometimes they didn’t.”
Aunt Hager is known throughout the community as a skilled nurse who helps both white and black families, often without payment.
This passage highlights Aunt Hager's respected role and the informal care economy in the segregated town.