39 pages • 1-hour read
Waiting for the Magic
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Chapters 15-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 15 Summary
As summer shifts to fall, Elinor serves the family her “salad,” a bowl of uncut vegetables and popcorn. Papa finds Marvelous Murphy’s poem draft, and Grace promptly carries it to the wastebasket, for which Mama thanks her. Elinor begins preschool, William and Max return to fifth grade, and Papa resumes teaching while writing at night. Mama stays home with the five pets. William worries about the upcoming hospital trip and develops a new after-school routine of rushing home to find Mama, Elinor, and the dogs gathered in the kitchen, which calms him.
Chapter 16 Summary
In the fall, William walks with Papa and the dogs in the park. The dogs behave like ordinary pets in public: Grace sits calmly while Bitty chases another dog. Sitting on a bench, William admits that he did not miss Papa at first but would miss him now. Papa promises that he will not leave again. Neo places a paw on William’s lap as they watch the autumn leaves fall.
Chapter 17 Summary
Winter arrives with a heavy snowfall. Papa writes more regularly, and William is comforted by the sound of typing. When William and Papa return one day from the park with the dogs, they see that Mama has begun to pack for the hospital. A frightened Elinor gives Mama a pair of fairy wings for the new baby. Gran and Grandfather arrive to stay with the children. Grandfather finds a meal that Marvelous left, throws it away, and compliments the dogs on their conversational skills. Gran promises to knit a baby blanket while they are at the hospital. After Mama and Papa leave, Grandfather reads comics to Bitty. Late that night, when only William lies awake, Papa calls to announce the birth of their son Nicholas.
Chapter 18 Summary
The next morning, Papa rests at home while Gran and Grandfather make breakfast. Then, everyone, including the dogs, piles into the car for a ride to the hospital. Once there, the dogs wait in the car with the grandparents while William and Elinor go upstairs with Papa. In Mama’s room, William meets his new brother. Before they leave, Mama stands at the window and waves down to the dogs. Marvelous Murphy arrives with gifts and weeps with joy. William leaves the hospital feeling calm.
Chapter 19 Summary
When Mama and Nicholas come home, the dogs approach the baby one by one to sniff and approve of him. Grandfather bakes a pie while conversing quietly with Bitty. Then, Julia, from the animal shelter, calls about a dog who needs a home. Mama tells Papa to go with the children and take a leash. At the shelter, Julia leads them to where a small brown dog waits. The tag on the door reads “Scooter,” the name that Papa always wanted for a dog. Both William and Papa are emotional at the coincidence. They adopt him, and during the ride home, Scooter speaks, startling Papa.
Chapter 20 Summary
The family arrives home with Scooter. When Mama greets him, she is shocked to hear his greeting in reply. Papa explains to her that all the dogs can talk. The animals add that her mind was too preoccupied with the baby to hear them before. She accepts the magic with joy. Later, William goes to the attic and reads a new poem on Papa’s computer called “EYES.” In it, Papa says that the dogs’ eyes showed him “where the magic is” and “where he belongs” (142-43). The poem ends with the line “Good night, William” (143). William then goes to his room and finds Scooter on his pillow. He asks for some space, and Scooter shifts over, settling into the family.
Chapters 15-20 Analysis
The concluding chapters fully develop the theme of The Redefinition of Family in the Wake of Absence, demonstrating that the family unit has been fundamentally transformed. Papa recognizes the necessity of the dogs within the family, which is emphasized in his decision to bring the dogs to the hospital so that Mama can wave to them after Nicholas’s birth. The narrative reinforces this transformation through William’s observation of how many beings now fill the house, changing what home feels like. This illustrates that healing comes from a new family structure, including many pets and a baby brother, not from restoring what once was. The adoption of Scooter serves as the capstone of this transformation. The dog’s name invokes nostalgia for Papa’s childhood desire for a dog and cements his place in the family. When Mama notes that “Scooter talks,” the family’s transformation is complete, as she is the last person to hear the animals speak.
Additionally, the theme of Finding Magic in Emotional Honesty and Connection culminates in both Papa and Mama embracing their truths and strengthening their relationships. Papa’s journey exemplifies this principle that magic is something within a person. He leaves home in a misguided search for creative inspiration but only finds it upon his return, through the work of reconnecting with his family. His final poem, which contains the personal message “Good night, William” (143), is a testament to this discovery, explicitly naming his family as inspiration. Moreover, Mama, after giving birth, is finally able to hear the animals speak. The dogs’ explanation that she was previously unable to hear them because “[she was] busy having a baby” is significant (141). Preoccupied by the physical and emotional work of creating new life, Mama was not ready to confront her emotional struggles. It is only when she is settled and recognizes their new, stronger family bonds that she can converse with the animals. Ultimately, Mama completes the family’s journey of healing.
Papa’s character arc reinforces the theme of The Healing Power of Animal Companionship. As he transforms from an absentee parent into an attentive and loving father and husband, the dogs accompany him. It is no coincidence that as he walks the dogs with William, father and son engage in difficult conversations that work to repair their relationship. During one such discussion, Papa validates William’s anger before promising, “I’ll never go away again” (111). This promise is substantiated by his subsequent behavior. He learns to listen—not only to his children but also to the dogs. His journey from being the cause of the family’s trauma to becoming an agent of its healing is completed with the adoption of Scooter. By embracing the dog that carries the name of his own childhood dream, Papa heals a part of himself. The sound of his typing, once absent, becomes a comforting, consistent presence, signifying that Papa has learned the lesson that Bryn articulated earlier: Writing is hard work born from presence and commitment. With the help of the dogs, Papa is able to write when he repairs himself and his relationship with his family.
Several symbols work to reinforce the novel’s themes: Papa’s empty space and Gran’s knitting. The space that Papa left empty when he originally departed is symbolic of the emotional struggle the family endures. Consequently, his physical space in the marital bed is a place that he can only reclaim by asking for Bryn’s permission, an acknowledgment of their new family structure and the role the dogs play in healing. The resolution is not simply about filling the void he left. The house is now “full” in a way it never was before. Furthermore, Gran’s knitting serves as a reminder of love, family, and comfort. Before, she knit coats for Grace and Bitty, signifying their place in the family. Now, when Mama and Papa leave for the hospital, she declares that she’ll “have a baby blanket finished by the time [they] get home” (117). This labor of love reinforces the strong bonds of the family, as there is no question that Gran will finish the blanket. This symbol of love and family resurfaces when she reaches for her knitting when Papa leaves with the kids to pick up Scooter; Gran is ready to welcome another family member home.
The final chapters reinforce the lesson of this fabulist novel: Magic directly results from characters’ emotional growth. The talking animals are the impetus for self-discovery and reconnection for William, Papa, and Mama. Furthermore, the discovery of Papa’s poem about the family’s “eyes,” those of the dogs, is a reminder of their role in healing this fractured family. The final, quiet exchange between William and Scooter—a simple request to “Move over” and the cheerful reply, “You betcha” (143)—grounds extraordinary events in the comfort of everyday life. This final image encapsulates how MacLachlan successfully weaves the magical and the mundane to tell a story about resilience, love, and healing.
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