34 pages • 1 hour read
My Louisiana Sky
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Chapters 18-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 18 Summary
Corrina works in the garden of her own accord. Tiger goes back to the nursery with her father, but he senses incoming severe weather from a nearby hurricane because of how birds and cows are behaving. Lonnie convinces the nursery owner and most of the other employees that they need to move all the fragile and expensive plants inside. When they are done, Tiger runs back home but stops to guide an escaped calf back into a pasture that belongs to Abby Lynn, the most popular girl in school. Abby Lynn begrudgingly compliments Tiger on her haircut, noting that it looks like Audrey Hepburn’s, before getting scared by the weather. However, Tiger realizes she couldn’t care less about Abby Lynn’s opinion. The rising action intensifies as the novel approaches its climax.
Chapter 19 Summary
In the climax of the novel, Tiger returns home as the storm is hitting in earnest only to discover that her mother has snuck out to look for her. Tiger finds her in the woods and remembers what Granny said about the pure strength of Corrina’s love. They return home where they and Magnolia wait out the worst of the storm, and eventually Lonnie returns home. Tiger realizes that her place is in Saitter with her family, and she decides not to move to Baton Rouge.
Chapter 20 Summary
The town regroups after the hurricane, and Lonnie gets recognition for his prediction. Tiger returns to playing baseball, and now some of the other girls in town play with them, too. Tiger reflects on her growth and the part that the hurricane played in it, and she looks forward to her life in Saitter, despite the challenges that she knows she will face.
Chapters 18-20 Analysis
Many of the themes and ideas running throughout My Louisiana Sky culminate in these last few chapters. The motif of the natural world, as well as the themes of judgment and growing up, all tie into the novel’s ultimate resolution.
Tiger’s father is adept at predicting the weather using subtle signs hidden in nature. Before the hurricane hits, he says that “[he thinks] there’s a terrible storm a-comin’ this way” (177) because of the behavior of the nearby birds and cows. Ultimately, he is correct, though he remains modest about saving the nursery’s most valuable plants. He claims that all he knows is that “if you listen close enough, the earth talks to you” (196). Despite his humility, this illustrates to Tiger and the rest of the town that people who are different can still contribute their own unique set of skills and knowledge.
The most notable use of the theme of judgment in the face of difference occurs when Abby Lynn sees Tiger’s haircut for the first time. She tells Tiger that “[i]t kind of looks like Audrey Hepburn’s” (184). Here, Tiger receives the validation that she’s been craving from the girls in her class throughout the whole novel. However, she demonstrates her character growth when she realizes that she “didn’t care one little-bitty bit” (185) what the other girls think of her hair.
Finally, Tiger realizes what it really means to grow up after the hurricane when she realizes the depth of her family’s love, and when she realizes that she doesn’t want to move to Baton Rouge. Upon hearing that Tiger wants to stay in Saitter and that she is prepared for the difficulties that lie ahead, Aunt Dorie Kay tells her that “you’ve gone and grown up on me” (194). Tiger realizes that appearance, conformity, and other external factors aren’t what matters in terms of “growing up”; it’s one’s newfound self- and other-awareness that makes a difference.
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By Kimberly Willis Holt
