50 pages • 1 hour read
The Orphan's Tale
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.
Chapter 21-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, death by suicide, suicide ideation and/or self-harm, racism, religious discrimination, pregnancy loss, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Astrid”
In early May, five days after arriving in Alsace, Noa wakes Astrid, warning her that SS officers are conducting an inspection. As they enter, Noa bribes them with cognac, and they leave. Noa then persuades a withdrawn Astrid to perform again. She reveals that another performer, Yeta, was sent to a camp after an injury, implying the same fate awaits Astrid if she can’t perform. Reluctantly, Astrid agrees.
Inside the big top, they discover that Metz the clockmaker has hanged himself. Soon after, Emmet announces he is firing most of the workers. Finding her voice, Astrid publicly confronts Emmet and negotiates severance pay and train tickets for the dismissed employees, reasserting her authority.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Noa”
The next day, Emmet demands Astrid return to her act. Convinced by Noa, Astrid begins a rehearsal filled with raw anger. During the practice, Luc pulls Noa from the tent, having followed the circus.
Luc tells Noa he confronted his father for signing Peter’s arrest order and has now joined the French Resistance. He asks Noa to escape with him, but she declines, loyal to Astrid and Theo. Before leaving, Luc gives Noa a letter for Astrid that had been forwarded from Berlin, unaware of its contents.
