20 pages 40 minutes read

Beth Henley

Crimes of the Heart

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1982

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Act IIIChapter Summaries & Analyses

Act III Summary

It is the following morning. Babe comes in through the back door and lies down on a cot in the kitchen. Lenny, obviously weary, enters as well. Chick comes in through the front door in a burst of energy. Lenny tells her that their grandfather is in a coma. She recommends that they call all of the people on a list she’s made, and tell them about the details of their grandfather’s situation. They tear the list in half and agree to split the work. Chick leaves.  

 

Lenny tells Babe that she feels bad. The day before, she made a wish over her birthday cookie that Granddaddy would no longer feel any pain. Then he had the stroke and went into the coma. Babe assures her that it’s not her fault. Then Lenny tells her that she heard Zackery is in stable condition, and also tells her about Billy Boy being struck by lightning. They begin crying together.  

 

Meg enters, singing a happy song. Her hair is messed up and one of her heels is broken. She says that she didn’t do anything with Doc. He didn’t ask her to run away with him, and she realized that she has grown emotionally: she didn’t need him to.