Lincoln in the Bardo

Hans hears Lincoln contemplate the nature of life as he caresses Willie’s body and wishes that it would come back to life. Lincoln reminds himself that nothing on this world is permanent, and that no one person, concept, or thing truly belongs to another. Hans tries to again affect Lincoln’s mind: As Lincoln says goodbye to Willie’s body, tries to get him to say the word “dead”—a straightforward description that might help Willie understand his condition and thus free him. But Lincoln says goodbye without mentioning death.

The ghosts watch dejectedly as Lincoln returns Willie’s body to his coffin and locks up the tomb.

Willie asks the ghosts if his father is gone. He has finally been helped out of the tendrils, but the moment he moves, new vines form around him.

Hans and Roger ask the Revered to help them shift Lincoln’s mind. The Reverend remembers helping them affect the minds of the engaged couple a while back. The man returned to the cemetery a few years later to visit the site where he and his wife had had sex the day they thought they would break up. The ghosts had kept them together but had not solved their problems; eventually the wife died by suicide.