50 pages • 1 hour read
Running Loose
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Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary
When Louie gets home, he finds Brenda waiting for him. Concerned about his well-being, she hugs him tightly. She tells him Norm is out looking for him. Later, Norm returns home and puts a hand on his shoulder. Louie notes, “in Trout that’s as close as a man gets to hugging another man” (105). They spend the evening together, having dinner and watching TV, and Louie’s parents try to distract Louie from his grief. Later, Louie feels the need to be alone and announces he will go for a drive. He reassures his parents he won’t do anything stupid.
Louie drives to Main Street and ends up at Becky’s house. He rings the doorbell, and Mr. Sanders welcomes him inside. Taking in the surroundings, Louie notices signs of Becky throughout the house: her piano, her posters, her medals. They sit on the couch, and Mr. Sanders tells Louie he knows it’s difficult to deal with such a loss at a young age. He offers Louie a beer and tells him that he and Becky were very close. Suddenly, Mr. Sanders throws the beer bottle into the fireplace, shouting, “What the hell is she doing dead?” (108). Louie places a hand on his shoulder, and Mr. Sanders apologizes. Before he leaves, Mr. Sanders asks Louie where Becky used to part her hair. Louie pictures Becky’s long hair and responds, “In the middle” (108).
Chapter 14 Summary
On Monday, the day of the funeral, the weather is beautiful. Becky’s mom had asked Louie to be a pallbearer, but he’d refused. He still hesitates to attend because the thought of facing the pain is overwhelming. That morning, Louie skips school and drives to the bridge. Sitting by the river, he speaks to himself and to Becky. Eventually, he heads to the service. The preacher, who didn’t know Becky, recites her achievements, lamenting that a song has died before it could be sung. He attributes her death to divine will, claiming that the Lord moves in strange and mysterious ways. Louie, outraged, shouts that it’s untrue and that Becky wouldn’t have believed it either. Carter and Boomer try to calm him and escort him out. Louie is surprised by the “kindness in Boomer’s voice,” remarking: “I don’t know where it came from, and I don’t imagine it stayed long; but it was the real thing” (112). Outside, Louie gets in his pickup and drives away.
Later, at the Buckhorn, Louie shares with Dakota his struggle to make sense of Becky’s death. Dakota remarks, “If you come through this, you’ll be a man” (114). Louie longs for life to have simpler rules. Dakota then sets up a checkerboard and invites Louie to play. He introduces a twist: Players can move their pieces as far and in whichever direction they choose without the constraints of traditional rules. Dakota wins the first round by jumping all Louie’s men in one move. Louie wins the next. Louie eventually finds the game dull. Dakota agrees, attributing it to the ease of the rules.
Chapter 15 Summary
Louie apologizes to Reverend Miller for his outburst. Then, he heads to Mr. Sanders’s house. Mr. Sanders jokingly shakes his head at him and tells him he received numerous complaints about Louie’s behavior, but he agrees with what he said. Over breakfast, he invites Louie to call him Fred. Brenda hugs him when he gets home later and encourages Louie to let things pass. Louie confides in Norm about feeling like “everything [he touches] lately turns dark brown” (119) and apologizes for his behavior. Norm responds with understanding and asks him for help at work next week, as he needs to haul gas and diesel into Stibnite. Louie senses his father’s deliberate intention to give him some time away from school and is thankful. Over the following week, as he drives Norm’s truck, Louie finds solace in the beauty of nature. The woods, the birds and elk, and the warmth of sunlight remind him that there’s a lot of life out there. By the end of the week, Louie notices that he still misses Becky, but “the really vicious, almost unbearable edge [is] gone” (121). Reflecting on the support he has received from his family, Dakota, and Mr. Sanders, Louie feels gratitude and that now he can start over.
Chapters 13-15 Analysis
In Chapters 13-15, as Louie grapples with Becky’s death, Crutcher delves into the theme of Coping with Grief and Loss. Becky’s dad, Mr. Sanders, acknowledges the immense challenge of dealing with such a loss at a young age: “I don’t think I could have handled it at your age. Not with someone I loved” (107). Louie, however, has no choice and spirals into the throes of grief. He is unsure about attending Becky’s funeral and has an emotional outburst during the service. He doesn’t believe the preacher’s words about God’s plan but instead believes that Becky’s being taken from him is an injustice. The town’s reaction to Louie’s outburst establishes Trout as a small, provincial community where word spreads quickly and judgments are swift. Mr. Sanders reveals that numerous people called to express their discontent with Louie’s behavior. As a result, Louie feels compelled to apologize to his parents for causing them distress and embarrassment.
In addition to the anger fueling his outburst, Louie’s grief is tinged with regret. Sitting by the lake before the service, he imagines scenarios where Becky could still be alive. There are also moments of tenderness in Louie’s grief. When Mr. Sanders asks how Becky parted her hair, he fondly recalls intimate details about her. Crutcher portrays Louie’s grief as raw and powerful and suggests its transformative potential. Dakota tells Louie, “If you come through this, you’ll be a man” (114). Becky’s death is a challenge in Louie’s journey toward adulthood and personal growth. Overcoming this profound loss marks a significant step in his coming of age. At the end of Chapter 15, there’s a subtle yet profound shift. After spending a week working with his father outside of Trout, Louie’s grief, once sharp and overwhelming, begins to soften. After spending a week working alongside his father, he reflects on this transformation. The once unbearable edge of his sorrow has dulled, offering a glimpse of hope amidst the darkness.
In the aftermath of Becky’s death, Louie finds solace and support from those close to him. His parents offer him kindness and understanding: His mother offers comforting hugs, and his father, in his own way, provides an escape from town, recognizing Louie’s need for it. Dakota goes beyond his role as Louie’s boss and becomes a mentor, offering guidance. Following the service, Dakota encourages Louie. Through the checkerboard game, he imparts a valuable lesson: Without challenges, life, like the game, would be monotonous and unfulfilling. The checkerboard symbolizes life itself. Louie also bonds with Becky’s father, Mr. Sanders, who shares Louie’s sentiments about the preacher’s words. He empathizes, “I was probably as disgusted as you were” (117), then cooks him breakfast and invites Louie to call him Fred. Additionally, Carter and, surprisingly, Boomer demonstrate compassion toward Louie, gently escorting him out of the service. Boomer’s unexpected kindness takes Louie aback; it’s a side of Boomer he’s never seen before. In the face of grief, even Boomer sets aside his typical behavior in a rare display of empathy.
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By Chris Crutcher
