The Uncalled · Chapter
I explained
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.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Religion
Miss Prime's self-righteousness and the women's gossip reveal the gap between professed Christian duty and actual compassion.
Community and Gossip
The women's conversation is filled with judgment, gossip, and a reluctance to help, highlighting the community's role in shaping social reputation.
Social Class and Judgment
Margaret's poverty and 'low' status are openly discussed, and the women's willingness to help is tempered by class-based disdain.
Characters to notice
- Miss Hester Prime
A stern, duty-bound woman who stays to prepare Margaret's body despite her disapproval of Margaret's life.
- Mrs. Davis
A kind-hearted woman who stays to help and takes young Freddie home for breakfast.
- Fred Brent
Margaret's young son, about five years old, who wakes to find his mother dead and is comforted by Mrs. Davis.
- Margaret Brent
The deceased mother of Freddie, whose life and death are the subject of the women's conversation.
- Mrs. Warren
A woman who leaves early, claiming she must care for her husband, and argues with Miss Prime.
- Mrs. Austin
A woman who protests staying because she has a big washing and has lost sleep watching over Margaret.
Key passages
“Protection is a good dish, but a beatin's a purty bitter sauce to take with it.”
Having a husband's protection is valuable, but the beatings that come with it are a terrible price to pay.
Mrs. Davis uses a folk saying to defend Margaret's decision to leave her abusive husband.
“A mother is a mother, after all, even sich a one.”
No matter how flawed a mother may be, she is still a mother.
Miss Prime reflects on the bond between Margaret and Freddie, despite her earlier harsh judgment.