The Ogress and the Orphans
92 pages • 3-hour read
Kelly BarnhillThe Ogress and the Orphans
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Chapters 50-54Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 50 Summary: “Again, Neighbors”
The Ogress is amazed to be among the townspeople. Though she’s been watching them for years, she notices new things about each, finding “it was a very different thing to see someone up close rather than from far away” (367). The picnic goes all day, and when the food runs low, the people bring more. They get to know the Ogress, who tells them stories of her life. She explains the dragon who burned down her village, though she’s unsure how a dragon disguised itself to be among ogres. Elijah knows how and tells the story.
Chapter 51 Summary: “The Picnic”
Armed with a fresh batch of signs, the Mayor marches to the square, where he is disgusted to see the Ogress and the picnic. Having been in his mayor body for so long, his dragon magic is weak, and when the people aren’t interested him, he is desperate to “use the last dregs of power to really wow them” (373). Before he can, the crows arrive, all carrying something shiny in their beaks.
Chapter 52 Summary: “The Crows”
The crows figured out that the Mayor is a dragon disguised as a human. When the Mayor arrived at the picnic, they went to his house and stole his gold. At the end of the previous chapter, they bring the gold to the picnic and “let the coins rain down on a crowd of astonished faces” (378).
Chapter 53 Summary: “The Town”
Before describing what happens next, the stone pauses to remind the reader that, while the Mayor encouraged grievance and distrust, the people of Stone-in-the-Glen are just as guilty for letting such feelings overtake them. The crows bring all the coins from the Mayor’s house, and the people realize he’s been stealing from them. The town cats attack the Mayor, ripping open his skin to reveal nothing inside. The dragon, weak and tiny, emerges from the skin and threatens to burn the townspeople “the way I burned your ridiculous Library” (383). The cats chase the dragon away, but it is never learned what happened to him.
Chapter 54 Summary: “The Ogress and the Orphans”
A few months later, winter has come, and a new school and Library are nearly complete. The cobbler’s wife is the new mayor, and she hangs a sign on the town hall that reads, “The public good means that the public is good” (386). The Ogress heads into town with a sleigh of food and stops at the stone in the town center. She greets it, and the stone is revealed as the story’s narrator. Later, the Ogress goes to the Orphan House, where the children eagerly welcome her. The stone wants to tell the reader that everyone is as accepting as the orphans, but it cannot because Stone-in-the-Glen is a real place full of real people, and “real people aren’t that simple” (387-88).
After spending a lovely day with the orphans, the Ogress sits with Myron. Myron thinks about how little time he has left, wishing he could expand time to make the good moments last longer. The Ogress tells him that time is fluid and cannot be measured as humans measure it. Still, Myron knows he doesn’t have much time, and he thanks the Ogress for being part of the time he has. Later, the children go outside with the Ogress and watch the stars together.
Chapters 50-54 Analysis
These ending chapters both bring closure and leave questions unanswered. The stone is revealed as the narrator in the final chapter, finally answering the question of who’s telling the story. Elijah still somehow knows stories he’s never read or experienced, but it is never explained why he can hear tales from objects. The townspeople learn the Mayor is truly a dragon and that he’s been swindling them. They also realize they can change as long as they make an effort to do so, and the new buildings in Chapter 54 show that the changes continue after the Mayor is removed.
The Ogress’s observation about the people in Chapter 50 supports the idea of a global community. The Ogress’s periscope is similar to the internet. It allows her to observe people at a distance and get a snapshot of their lives, but it doesn’t let her see the people up close or get to know them. Similarly, the internet allows people to research any part of the world, but it only gives information without the context of how people feel. Depending on the source, that information may be biased against groups or places, leading to hatred and prejudice. The Ogress could have chosen to dislike Stone-in-the-Glen because of what she saw in the periscope, but instead, she saw the emotional wounds in need of healing. When she finally interacts with the townspeople, she understands them more because she is in the midst of their lives. The Ogress’s short journey from her home to the town represents the idea that the best way to understand unfamiliar people or cultures is to live among them.
The stone’s observation at the beginning of Chapter 53 reminds everyone that they are responsible for their own choices. The people of Stone-in-the-Glen chose to listen to the Mayor and give him all their money. It is not the Mayor’s fault they made these choices. The Mayor offered himself as a seemingly good choice, but the people did not ask questions or investigate him before electing him as a leader. Their choice to accept the Mayor is a warning against making decisions without doing research first. It is also a message about responsibility. The people blame the Mayor and Ogress for the downfall of Stone-in-the-Glen. The Mayor helped in the town’s fall, but the people are ultimately responsible because they put unwarranted trust in him.
The last the people see of the dragon is while the cats chase him away. The dragon is never heard from again, and it is unclear if the cats catch him. It may be that the dragon didn’t feel it was worth his time to swindle another town because it was too much work. Whether the dragon was killed or just quit doesn’t matter. Throughout most of the book, the skin the dragon wears is vibrant and healthy, with a kind of glow to it. The skin is a facade designed to be appealing, and it is mostly empty, symbolizing how the Mayor made empty promises and statements. The tiny, powerless dragon that emerges from the skin shows how people hide behind appealing appearances or statements to make others appreciate them. The dragon’s small size is also ironic. The Mayor has been a large, imposing force in the town for years, but behind that force, there is only a dragon depleted of its power.
The final chapter shows Stone-in-the-Glen rebuilding. The cobbler’s wife has been a source of wisdom and good deeds throughout the book, and her new status as Mayor means the people have put the dragon behind them and are committed to making the town lovely again. The Ogress is part of the town now, and she still brings food and treats to share, showing how Stone-in-the-Glen has become a true community. The stone makes it clear that not everyone in the town has accepted the changes because people are complicated, and since there are still those who oppose the changes, there will likely be more discord and strife in the future. Like individuals, communities are complicated, and conflict is a part of life. When strife again comes to Stone-in-the-Glen, the people will have to choose whether to let it destroy them and the town again. Nothing can force them to make this decision; all they can do is hope that most people will make good choices.
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