42 pages • 1-hour read
Independence Day
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary
Irv escorts Paul to the hospital in Oneonta, and they arrive just after Paul has been transported into the ER. Panicking and on the verge of a breakdown, Frank desperately tries to ascertain his son’s prognosis. During the drive to Oneonta, Irv tries to distract Frank by discussing the past and the state of Irv’s life. He has been married twice and is considering a third marriage to his girlfriend Emma, who he has left behind in Cooperstown. Irv is effusive but affable, and as Frank struggles to cope with his worry, Irv has a beneficial influence. Irv is a supportive presence for Frank and remains with him through the entire ordeal, even if it means just sitting in the waiting room alone. At one point on the way to the hospital, Frank muses about a pheasant that flies out of the brush on the side of the road.
It turns out that Paul’s eye has been damaged and will require surgery. Frank believes that the doctor, like the EMS technicians who initially tended to Paul, is judgmental. Paul did not wear a helmet, nor was he wearing eye protection in the cage. When the doctor informs Frank of the options for surgery, he realizes that before deciding what to do, he must consult with Ann, who is currently at the Yale Yacht club with Charley O’Dell. Frank feels reluctant but makes the call anyway. Ann makes arrangements to be flown to the hospital by helicopter and insists that Frank makes no decision until she arrives in two hours. Frank agrees to this request. Frank finally is able to visit Paul in his room and notices that his eyes are wrapped in bandages. Paul is awake and talking to the nurse. Frank observes his son but says nothing. Instead, he sneaks back out of the room.
It takes Ann longer than two hours to arrive, and in the time Frank spends awaiting Ann, he and Irv go for a walk through town. Once again, Irv turns their conversations to the past. He shows Frank a laminated picture he keeps in his wallet of him as a kid with Frank and Frank’s mother in it. Irv seems to want to restart their relationship, but although Frank is moved, he is not very interested.
Chapter 12 Summary
When they return to the hospital, Ann has finally arrived, and she has brought along a renowned ophthalmologist with her, Henry Burris. Ann has made the decision to have Paul flown via helicopter to New York City, where Dr. Burris performs his surgeries. Frank and Ann have an emotional discussion that is unlike their previous conversations in the novel. This one is more compassionate, as they both express remorse and are vulnerable to each other. Ann even cries in front of Frank, something he has not seen her do in a long time. When Frank meets Henry Burris, he wonders if this is the man Ann has been committing adultery with, but on second thought concludes that he is not. Burris has a confident style which puts Frank at ease but also grates on him somewhat. He tells Frank of a particular surgery he performed which closely resembled the detached retina that is Paul’s diagnosis. Paul will likely have some lasting damage, but Burris thinks he can bring Paul back to near his condition prior to the accident.
Paul is brought out of the hospital to where the helicopter is waiting. Ann and Dr. Burris join him in the helicopter, but Frank remains in Oneonta. Just before Paul is brought out of the hospital and loaded into the helicopter, Frank talks to him. Paul’s eyes are still bandaged, but he is alert. They exchange a few cheesy jokes with each other, as is their wont, and finally, Frank once again tells Paul he loves him. This time, unlike the other times he has said this to his son, he gets a response from Paul, who says to Frank, “yep, me too” (401). Frank and Ann exchange a few words, and Frank brings up the question of whether Paul can still come visit him. Ann is non-committal. She questions whether Paul staying with Frank will disrupt Frank’s way of life. They leave the question open-ended. She boards the helicopter and departs, leaving Frank standing there alone.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Independence Day”
Irv drives Frank back to Cooperstown. Once again, their conversation turns toward a philosophical discussion of life and middle age. Once back to his car, Frank calls the hotel where he is supposed to meet Sally. He then calls the Markhams and informs them that the Houlihan house has been sold. Their tone has changed, and Joe asks Frank about his rental property and the possibility of seeing that. Frank arrives in Haddam at 11:00 p.m. after a seriously long day. When he gets home, there is a message from Ann indicating that Paul did well in surgery and is recuperating. Frank calls Ann back, and there is a noticeable change in their interaction. Frank realizes that the hopes he carries for reuniting with Ann are entirely dashed, but this also enables him to speak with Ann as a friend.
The next day, which is the Fourth of July, Frank meets up with the Markhams to show them his rental home. It is in a predominantly Black neighborhood, which brings Joe’s racism to the surface. Once again, Joe presents himself as cautious and guarded while examining the home, but at this late stage, he is out of options and knows it. To save face, Joe mentions how he thinks it was a good thing not to have been drawn into buying the Houlihan house. Finally, the Markhams inevitably agree to rent the property. After his meeting with the Markhams, Frank aimlessly drives around town taking in the sights of his community.
Frank recalls the conversation he had the previous night from a payphone with Karl regarding the birch-beer stand. Their conversation highlights how different the two men are; Karl is abrasive and stubborn, while Frank is much more stoic. Frank then discusses the call to the hotel where Sally was staying. Despite his low expectations, the conversation went well. The prospect of taking their relationship to a new, more committed level, is gaining steam.
Returning to the present, Frank sees skydivers as he is driving around town, a spectacle and a prelude for the day’s festivities. Frank drives to his former home, which he shared with Ann and their children. While there, he runs into an old friend, Carter Knott, who had been in the support group for divorced men Frank was a part of after his divorce. After a brief discussion with his friend, Frank muses on the prospect that he is entering a new phase of life, one that he names, “The Permanent Period” (450).
Chapters 11-13 Analysis
On the heels of Paul’s disastrous accident, Frank is reeling. His provocation of Paul causes Frank a high degree of guilt. The emotional whirlwind that follows the accident forces Frank into a reflective mood, especially after the initial shock subsides, and it is evident that, although he is injured, Paul will survive. As he and Irv travel to the hospital in Oneonta, Frank notices a pheasant that flies up out of the brush along the side of the road. It lands in the middle of the highway, where Frank muses, “Who or what scared it, I wonder? Is it safe there in the middle? Can it possibly survive?” (369). The image of the pheasant and Frank’s reaction to it symbolizes Frank’s life to this point. Just like the pheasant, Frank has been scared out of his shelter. The death of his son Ralph and the subsequent dissolution of his marriage flushed him out of the confines of his previous life. Like the pheasant, he has landed in the middle of a dangerous, new place where he is exposed and vulnerable. The highway in this case represents life and the movement of civilization. In asking the question if the pheasant can survive in the middle of the highway, Frank is effectively asking if he can survive his own precarious position. This moment is the first time readers see Frank question the wisdom of his “existence period” and the tacit understanding that he needs to emerge from this—otherwise, he will be as prone to a catastrophe as the pheasant is.
The final two chapters highlight Frank’s sudden transformation. While there does not seem to be an obvious change in how he interacts with others around him, such as the Markhams and his business partner Karl, Frank’s musings reveal a shift in his thinking. For example, recalling the accident and considering what the future holds between him and his son, Frank says,
While I don’t subscribe to the “crash-bam” theory of human improvement, which says you must knock good sense into your head and bad sense out, yesterday may have cleared our air and accounts and opened, along with wounds, an unexpected window for hope to go free (429).
There are two critical points here: first is that Frank recognizes how the accident was a pivotal moment in that it cleared the air between him and Paul. Secondly, Frank sees how this crisis can ultimately lead to hope of a new beginning. The comment is laden with the sense of liberation from conflict, and while he is speaking of his relationship with Paul, it underscores the idea that he has been transformed by the experience. As the novel concludes, Frank mentions that he is entering “The Permanent Period”, which “would be, that long, stretching-out time when my dreams would have mystery like any ordinary person’s” (450). Paul’s accident and Frank’s involvement in it initiates a transformation, in which Frank moves from the existential anxiety that afflicts him to a stage in life where he accepts his place in the world. This acceptance is what liberates him.
Unlock all 42 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs