Dead End In Norvelt

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, animal cruelty and death, death by suicide, and death.

Mrs. Vinyl dies, and her daughter wants her cremated. On the drive to Mrs. Vinyl’s house, Jack mentions the skeleton, and Miss Volker says that her sister used it for a drawing model. At Mrs. Vinyl’s house, Miss Volker and Mr. Huffer argue about the fate of Norvelt. Miss Volker wants it to be a “shining city on a hill” (329). Mr. Huffer claims that Norvelt can’t last forever—nothing can. Miss Volker believes that history lasts forever.

For Mrs. Vinyl’s obituary, Miss Volker discusses a birthday party she had during World War II. The Norvelt women saved their rations of sugar and flour and baked Mrs. Vinyl a cake. Fast-burning candles burned an extraordinary hole in the cake, but the woman ate it and enjoyed it. Since the date is August 6, Miss Volker notes the bombing of Hiroshima. She claims that countries win wars through principles, not ruthlessness. She also vows to never refer to Japanese people as “Japs” again.

Dad criticizes Miss Volker’s obituary for Mrs. Vinyl. He and other soldiers want to forget the “horrors” of war, but she reminds them.