The Latecomer

When Lewyn goes to Sally’s dorm room, she tells him that she wants to be left alone and will see him at Thanksgiving. Lewyn withdraws and, although he sometimes sees her on campus, does not say hello.

Lewyn’s roommate is from Idaho and is a few years older. He finds out that this is because Jonas is a Mormon and had spent the previous years on his mission. When Lewyn says he is Jewish, Jonas is not surprised. He tells Jonas about his ancestor, Joseph Oppenheimer, and a related Nazi propaganda film. Lewyn also remembers the family story about his ancestor that emigrated to New York and almost changed his infamous last name, but decided against it, knowing that it was more important to keep his family’s history intact.

Lewyn is discomfited by the realization that, while he finds Jonas’s religion strange and cult-like, Jonas realized long ago that Lewyn was Jewish, and is not thrown by the revelation the way that Lewyn is thrown by Jonas’s Mormonism. Lewyn realizes that his world has been limited, and that the rest of the country has been undefined and unconsidered by him. Jonas also reveals that he is more familiar with the Ithaca area than Lewyn, as it is the birthplace of Mormonism. Later that night, Lewyn stays awake, thinking about the story of Mormonism that Jonas has told him.

A few days after Sally and Lewyn leave, Harrison leaves to go to Roarke. It is a two-year college, after which he will transfer to Harvard. He always hated Walden’s progressive nature, believing himself to be smarter than the other students but with no way to prove it. He discovered Roarke when Dr. Vernon Loring came to speak at Walden. In his speech, the man lambasted the school for its progressive approach, and Harrison had felt an instant kinship. After the talk, Harrison tracked Dr. Loring down at Columbia University’s philosophy department and felt immediately understood by the man.

Harrison planned to apply to Harvard, but secretly feared that he was not smart enough to get in. Loring brings up an author, Eli Absalom Stone, whose book Harrison has read and been obsessed with ever since. Stone is Harrison’s age, was self-taught, and espouses the same beliefs that Loring and Harrison hold. Loring then brings up Roarke, a men’s school begun in the 1970s as a reaction to progressive schools, that espouses “scholarly monastics,” where students built the buildings and raised the food they ate.

After Harrison’s things are loaded onto the bus to Roarke, his parents leave, and finally, he is alone. He is shocked to discover that Eli Absalom Stone is one of the other students on the bus. As he heads for campus, for the first time, Harrison feels a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

In her dorm room at Balch Hall, Sally gets rid of more and more of her possessions. Although her resident assistant is concerned, Sally seems to be fine, so she leaves her alone. Rochelle takes a cue from Sally and is getting rid of some possessions as well. Sally discovers that Rochelle is sharply intelligent and, although at first she kept her roommate at a distance, brings up Harrison one day, but still does not tell Rochelle about Lewyn.

When Rochelle sees a picture of Phoebe on Sally’s email, Sally tells her it is a cousin’s child. When she sees Lewyn from afar on campus, Sally sees that he is fine, and has made a friend. She and Rochelle have become friends; however, she has made no others and, as Rochelle gets busier, Sally becomes lonelier.

During Thanksgiving break, the triplets revert to their younger selves at home, and pick up their same relationship dynamic. They are all forced to participate in Johanna’s holiday traditions, but Sally is relieved that the baby is quiet, and claims to feel nothing for her. While she is home, Sally sets her alarm clock for five o’ clock in the morning, to watch her father sneak into the house before dawn, as she has been doing for years.

After 18 years of being pampered and privileged by his family’s wealth, Harrison is astonished by his life at Roarke. When he arrives, he is surprised to be given a remedial reading list, including the Bible and Confessions of Augustine. He loves his studies but does not like the physical work of the college—he has been given the responsibility of caring for the chickens, including killing and plucking them for the kitchen.

Eli Absalom Stone, whom Harrison still admires, is reserved with his classmates. Harrison does not bring up his book, but eventually another classmate, Carlos, finds it in the library and shares his discovery with everyone. Several weeks later, Eli accuses this student, Carlos, of plagiarism, which Carlos vigorously denies. The students choose sides and Harrison, without consciously choosing it, sides with Eli.

Sally hopes that Rochelle will invite her home to Long Island over winter break, but she does not. A few weeks later, Rochelle has to go home again and, although Sally offers to go along, Rochelle refuses. While Rochelle is gone, Sally discovers that she has romantic feelings for her, and decides she needs to manage her attraction.

Walking through campus, she sees the art museum, and remembers that her family has donated paintings to it. Inside, she cannot find them, but sees Lewyn, and rushes to avoid him. She runs up to the top floor and stumbles onto a Shaker furniture exhibit. Sally is astonished by the display, and meets Harriet, a woman who found many pieces on exhibit. Harriet is a picker, traveling to private homes to find antiques and collectibles. When she tells Sally that a college student cannot afford Shaker furniture, Sally thinks of her family wealth, and introduces herself.

Lewyn and Jonas get along well as roommates, and often go to breakfast with Jonas’s friends. Lewyn wonders if any of them are Mormons, and they all see him as a representative for Jewish people. They ask a lot of questions, and do not seem to understand his distinction that his family members are “cultural Jews” (174). When they ask to go to Seder with him, he admits that he had not planned on attending. However, he arranges it, contacting a girl named Rochelle to arrange their attendance at one of the Seders happening on campus.

That day, Lewyn, Jonas, and his friends all dress up for Seder, but once they arrive, are disappointed by the casualness of the occasion. Lewyn explains the significance of the foods and, when the meal is served, he meets Rochelle in person. After she leaves, he cannot stop watching her. Everything is going well until one of the boys, who made an antisemitic joke earlier, wants to speak. When the rabbi gives him the microphone, he quotes the Bible, then all of the boys rise, hold hands, and pray. Although everyone in the room is polite, Lewyn feels as if he has betrayed his faith.

One day Sally visits Harriet Greene at her home, which is similar to Sally’s own childhood home, but more run-down. The house is crowded with antiques and, as they drink tea, Sally tells Harriet about her family. She also admits that she does not know what she wants to study yet but finds herself as entranced with the furniture in Harriet’s house as she had been at the museum. She asks if she can go with Harriet the next time she goes picking.