The Uncalled · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Uncalled by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Chapter 1
I
In the early morning in the impoverished section of Dexter, Ohio, a group of women gather at the home of the recently deceased Margaret Brent. After much bickering about who should stay to prepare the body, Miss Hester Prime and Mrs. Melissy Davis remain to lay out the corpse and clean the squalid room. They wake Margaret's young son Freddie, who learns of his mother's death and weeps. Mrs. Davis takes Freddie home for breakfast, leaving Miss Prime alone with her thoughts.
Chapter 2
II
Margaret Brent's funeral is held in a cold, fireless room. The community gathers, mostly women, and engages in gossip and judgment about her life and backsliding. The Rev. Mr. Simpson preaches a noisy, inconsequential sermon, and Brother Hodges offers a tender prayer. After the service, the coffin is borne to the graveyard, and Mrs. Warren stays behind to search for valuables, taking the crape and covering from the mirror.
Chapter 3
III
The women of Dexter gather at Mrs. Davis's home the day after Margaret Brent's funeral to decide the fate of her orphaned son, Fred. After discussing various options and rejecting the orphan asylum, Miss Hester Prime unexpectedly volunteers to take the boy, despite her lack of experience with children. Fred is reluctant to leave Mrs. Davis, but ultimately goes with Miss Prime, prompting mixed reactions among the women.
Chapter 4
IV
Miss Prime takes in five-year-old Freddie Brent after his mother's funeral. The chapter describes her prim cottage, her rigid personality, and her struggle to care for the child. Eliphalet Hodges visits, and they discuss the town's gossip and Freddie's future.
Chapter 5
V
After Margaret Brent's death, the community gossips about the fate of her son Freddie. Miss Hester Prime reveals to Mrs. Sallie Martin that she intends to raise the child herself, while Eliphalet Hodges also shows interest in the boy, buying him toys and candy, leading to a tense exchange with Miss Prime about how to properly raise a child.
Chapter 6
VI
This chapter explores the repressive upbringing of Frederick Brent under Miss Hester Prime, who crushes his natural impulses through strict religious and moral training. An incident at church where Fred laughs at Daniel Hastings's testimony leads to public humiliation and a forced apology to Willie Tompkins, which ultimately sparks a defiant fight. The chapter highlights the conflict between repression and natural human expression.
Chapter 7
VII
At a school picnic, Fred Brent heroically saves Elizabeth Simpson from drowning in a swollen stream, an act that awakens him to his own feelings of love. He flees the crowd in confusion and returns home, where Miss Prime scolds him but shows affection. The chapter also depicts Miss Prime and Rev. Simpson conspiring to bring Fred to religious conversion, which he resists until revival meetings force him to 'get religion.' Fred's love for Elizabeth grows, and he experiences a profound emotional and sexual awakening.
Chapter 8
VIII
Fred visits Eliphalet Hodges, who reveals that his horse Old Bess has died. The conversation shifts to Fred's growing feelings for Elizabeth, and Eliphalet shares his own past romantic history with Miss Hester Prime. Miss Prime later announces her plan to make Fred a preacher, and Eliphalet attempts to propose to her, but is rebuffed.
Chapter 9
IX
Three months after the previous events, Dexter has modernized with paved streets, electric cars, and factories. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Martin, unchanged gossips, meet for tea and discuss Miss Prime's plan to make Fred a preacher against his will. Fred rebels, arguing with his guardian, and later seeks comfort from Elizabeth Simpson, who also supports the preaching plan, deepening his frustration.
Chapter 10
Chapter X
Fred Brent continues his studies at the seminary, gaining recognition for his oratorical skills despite the community's prejudice against his parents. He falls in love with Elizabeth Simpson after hearing her sing a love song, but a conflict arises when he plays baseball, which Elizabeth and her father deem inappropriate for a future minister. Fred struggles with the narrow-mindedness of those around him, including his guardian Mrs. Hodges.
Chapter 11
XI
Fred Brent is compelled to preach his first sermon at the Dexter church, facing the congregation that has known him since childhood. Despite his dread, he delivers a powerful sermon on judgment and hypocrisy, confronting the community's prejudices and his own painful past.
Chapter 12
XII
Fred Brent is ordained as a minister against his will, faints during the ceremony, and afterward refuses to participate in the celebratory dinner, asserting his newfound independence from Mrs. Hodges' control.
Chapter 13
XIII
Fred Brent struggles with the burdens of his pastoral role in Dexter, finding solace in study and work. He becomes engaged to Elizabeth Simpson, and the couple plans to marry at the end of his first pastoral year. However, when a scandal involving Sophy Davis arises, Mr. Simpson pressures Brent to publicly shame her from the pulpit. Brent refuses, leading to a heated confrontation. Mr. Simpson retaliates by calling a church meeting, during which he implies Brent may be shielding the girl for improper reasons. Brent erupts in anger, threatening violence in the church.
Chapter 14
XIV
After his confrontation with the congregation, Fred Brent decides to leave Dexter and move to Cincinnati. He packs his belongings and says goodbye to Eliphalet and Mrs. Hodges, who are deeply grieved by his departure. Mrs. Hodges feels her life's work has been undone, while Eliphalet is heartbroken. Fred travels by train to Cincinnati, where he experiences the loneliness of a stranger in a big city, finds a boardinghouse, and begins to adjust to his new freedom.
Chapter 15
XV
Fred Brent struggles with the lingering effects of his repressive upbringing, feeling trapped by the very discipline he thought he had escaped. He goes out with Perkins to a beer-garden but is intercepted by a temperance advocate. Later, at a temperance meeting, he discovers the speaker is his estranged father, Tom Brent, causing him profound shame and anger.
Chapter 16
XVI
Fred Brent receives a telegram from Eliphalet Hodges summoning him home. He struggles with his feelings about his father, Tom Brent, who has returned and is dying. After internal conflict, Fred returns to Dexter, where he learns his father is penitent and near death. Despite his initial refusal, he is led by Eliphalet to see his father. Tom Brent dies and is buried, with the Rev. Mr. Simpson preaching a sermon that condemns Fred's rebellion.
Chapter 17
XVII
The town of Dexter continues to gossip about Tom Brent's return and death, and Fred's disappearance. Eliphalet and Hester Hodges receive letters from Fred, who has found work in Cincinnati and is growing happier and more fulfilled. He announces his engagement to Alice, a girl who helps him become his true self. Eliphalet travels to Cincinnati to meet Alice and sees a transformed Fred, who has found a broader, more authentic faith and love.
