Summary
Josie continues to act oddly towards Klara after Morgan’s Falls, and the Mother does as well. But Josie soon grows very ill, so there is no time to dwell on that.
One day Melania Housekeeper, irritated by Klara’s presence underfoot while Josie sleeps, tells Klara to go outside. She does, although nervous, and begins to cross the fields. Her mind fills with worries about Josie, and she wonders why the Sun hadn’t bestowed his favor upon her like he did for Beggar Man and his dog. She muses that the Sun must be very busy and cannot attend to every individual case, so perhaps she might need to draw his attention to Josie. She wonders what the differences might be between Beggar Man’s case and Josie, and considers how right before the Sun healed Beggar Man, the Cootings Machine had been making pollution.
Dr. Ryan begins visiting frequently, and Josie does become stronger. Rick also visits more, which Melania is wary about but allows since it clearly makes Josie happier. Melania tells Klara to stay in the room as to prevent any hanky-panky, as she puts it, and Josie seems happy to have her there as well.
The first phase of Rick’s visits is characterized by a gentle atmosphere, with a sharing of memories. Josie is relaxed and often sketches. The next phase is the bubble game phase, which the two clearly played as kids. Josie draws figures and Rick has to fill the bubbles in with what the figures might be saying. Klara can see the importance the game has for them. Early on, the game is enjoyable and pleasant, but soon they talk about things other than the bubbles.
One day Josie brings up a portrait being painted of her and comments she thinks Rick is jealous of it because the way he talks about it. He thinks it is weird the man, Mr. Capaldi, wants to take so many photographs of her. She protests that her mother is always there and it’s because Mr. Capaldi works on it outside of her visits. Rick says he is not jealous, and she says maybe it’s that he is just worried something might get in the way of the plan. Klara sees how important the plan is to both of them, and then, by extension, to herself.
In the third and last phase of the visits, the bubble game becomes more problematic. Rick does not know the figures as well as he used to, and spends more time thinking. Sometimes the two children laugh, but things eventually became more troubling. One time Rick wonders why people with big eyeballs are staring at a girl, and concludes it seems like she wants them to be staring. Josie complains he is being creepy and he replies she should not draw figures like that.
After Rick’s visits Josie lets the papers fall to the floor, and doesn’t mind that Klara looks at them when she picks them up. She sees one with two figures, meant to be Missy and the long-armed girl, looking at a blob that Rick writes, “the smart kids think I have no shape. But I do. I’m just keeping it hidden. Because who wants them to see?” (125). Josie asks Klara if she thinks Rick thought the figure was him, and Klara replies that he probably meant it to be Josie, and was trying to be kind by saying that Josie is being clever to protect herself and is not really changing. Josie scoffs that it is not a big deal even if she does change, and Rick always gets weird when she acts any way he doesn’t like because he wants her to be like she was when they were kids. Klara does not agree, and later Josie quietly wonders if Klara is right.
One rainy day Rick is over and they are playing the game. Josie brings up his mom, asking why she does not drive and commenting that she does not have “society” like her own mother does. Rick replies that she is not well and Josie knows that. Josie needles him on what his plan for the future is, and claims his mother wants him to stay with her forever. Josie does not know how that will happen if she has society and Rick does not. She also claims that her own mother has courage and Rick’s does not.
Rick finally hands her the drawing he has been thinking about. Josie is stunned and asks why he would do this. Rick leaves the room angrily. When Klara finally sees the picture, she sees figures of Josie and Rick, with the bubble for Josie saying “I wish I could go out and walk and run and skateboard and swim in lakes. But I can’t because my mother has Courage. So instead I get to stay in bed and be sick. I’m glad about this. I really am” (131).
Rick does not return the next day or the day after. Josie grows quiet and lethargic. But then one morning she is livelier, having drawn something she wants to give to Rick the next time he comes. She asks for an envelope. Klara volunteers to take it to him, and Josie excitedly agrees. Klara says it will be good for Rick to see the picture because he might forgive Josie. Her eyes flash and she says she is the one who has to forgive him. Klara apologizes for not understanding forgiveness, and Josie listens and says it is okay and maybe it is actually him who needs to forgive.
On Klara’s way out, Josie asks her if she regrets living here with a sick kid, especially as she promised her it would be fun. Klara says she is very happy here and has no wish to be anywhere else with any other child. Josie is happy to hear this.
Klara heads outside and walks to Rick’s house. It is even shabbier close-up. Rick is pleased to see her with Josie’s envelope, and welcomes her inside. Rick apologizes for the smell and she explains she cannot smell. When she also asks if his mother isn’t well, he says he does not want to talk about her.
He opens the envelope and sees the picture of two small figures meant to be Josie and Rick, with the words “Rick and Josie forever.” He is touched by the message.
Music sounds loudly from upstairs and he calls to his mom to turn it down. He thanks Klara for coming and to tell Josie thanks for the picture. She wishes he’d come himself, but he expresses his frustration with Josie’s comments about his mother and pushing things too far. Klara understands but says Josie is worried about the plan. He sighs that she is always trying to trap him in his words. None of this matters, he concedes, if she does not get better. He asks Klara what her estimate of Josie’s illness is.
Klara ventures that she does believe there is a way for Josie to become better that the adults haven’t considered yet, but the situation is urgent and they cannot keep waiting. She asks him if he can help by taking her to Mr. McBain’s barn. She cannot say more, because it might interfere. Rick is skeptical but seemingly amenable.
Suddenly they are interrupted by Rick’s mother, Miss Helen, who wanders downstairs looking for something. She looks at Klara and says that she does not know how to greet a guest like her—should she treat her as a guest or as a vacuum? Rick groans. But Miss Helen persists chatting with Klara, asking about her abilities and talking about Rick and his intelligence. She talks about how he was never lifted but there is still a decent option for him at Atlas Brookings, which will take a small amount of unlifted students. It is hard to find screen tutors for him though, because the tutors are members of the TWE and cannot, or they ask exorbitant fees that they cannot afford.
Rick is irritated by all of this and tries to get his mother to stop talking. Miss Helen then muses about something non sequitur, which is that she saw Chrissie one time out on the field, holding someone by the arm. It looked like Sal, but this was two years after Sal had died. Rick laughs and says his mom has weird theories like Sal living under the stairs. Miss Helen protests that she did not say that Sal was alive, as she most certainly died and it was a tragedy, but the person looked like Sal.
Miss Helen wants to turn the conversation back to Rick, which irritates him and he leaves. Miss Helen apologizes for her bad manners and talks about being from England, and then asks Klara for help with Rick. She says he is clever but does not want to try because he does not want to go away and leave her. She asks Klara to help Josie convince Rick to try, because that might be the only way this will happen. She knows Klara can influence Josie, and she should tell her not to give up, that Rick is stubborn.
Klara wonders why Miss Helen would “desire a path that would leave her in loneliness” (152), and Miss Helen smiles sadly, calling Klara sweet. Miss Helen urges her to talk to Josie, who will talk to Rick, and maybe the next time Chrissie goes to the city she can bring Miss Helen and Rick with her, because she has a secret weapon whom she wants Rick to meet.
Outside, Klara apologizes to Rick for causing friction. He shrugs that it is always like that. He then asks about Klara’s visit to the barn, and she says it will have to be at night and she will go alone. He understands, and also asks her to tell Josie he liked her picture.
That evening, Klara sets out on her journey to the barn. It begins well enough, but she remembers the terrifying bull and begins to struggle. Thankfully though, Rick shows up, having seen her from his house, and helps carry her the rest of the way. She is glad, as the fields were more complex than she’d thought.
As they near the structure, Klara realizes that her fear of the barn not being the literal place where the Sun set was well-founded. The barn is half-built, the wind whistling through it, and the Sun kept falling beyond the edifice. But she does comfort herself that the place was the place he made the last point of visiting every evening. Klara asks Rick if she can go alone now.
Klara knows this endeavor will be filled with risk and require all her concentration. Inside, she is surprised to see some furniture resembling that of the furniture in her former store. She sits on a folding chair and summons her strength of mind. She begs him to make Josie better like he did for Beggar Man. But then things steal into her mind, like Boy AF Rex calling her selfish, and Mother at Morgan Falls, and the bull. She realizes the Sun cannot do anything right now because he does not see Josie separately from other humans, and she feels foolish. Finally she apologies for being rude and coming here and understands how he is ignoring her. She asks if he will accept one more proposal, that she does something special to please him and make him happy. She realizes it would maybe work to destroy one of the pollution machines, since that clearly makes the Sun angry. The Sun leaves, and she does feel like he smiled on her kindly as he went down.
Rick is waiting in the dark for her. She is not afraid, and thanks him. When he asks about what happened, she encourages him to try to get into Atlas Brookings. He knows his mother was working on Klara, and wonders about leaving his mother alone out here.
The next day Rick shows up at the house and he and Josie reconcile. Klara ruminates on what she can do to destroy the Cootings Machine.
The Mother announces that next Thursday they are driving into town and staying overnight because Josie has an appointment about her portrait with Mr. Capaldi, the artist. She would like Klara to come as well. Mr. Capaldi is fascinated by AFs, the Mother explains, and might want to ask Klara questions. She also adds that Rick and Miss Helen have business in town and will come along.
Before the trip, Rick and Miss Helen come by. Rick steals a moment with Klara and says he has decided to really try to get into Atlas Brookings, and has agreed to meet the man his mother knows—some old flame, he guesses.
Before the trip, Melania Housekeeper surprises Kalra by coming to talk to her privately. She urges Klara to pay attention to Mr. Capaldi, whom she sees as creepy, and make sure Josie is okay. Klara says that the Mother would never let anything bad happen, and Melania responds that yes she loves her daughter but Sal died and this messed her up. Melania is grudgingly glad to see that she and Klara are on the same page, but threatens to destroy her if Klara works at cross-purposes. Klara confidently smiles at her and thanks her for trusting her.
In a powerful moment one night before they head into the city, Klara sees Josie frantically crying that she does not want to die, and her mother comforting her.
Analysis
In Part Three, Klara details how much sicker Josie is becoming, and the beginnings of her attempts to save her. She also provides more insights into Rick, whose status as an unlifted child means that he has limited opportunities in life, and meets his mother, who, while far from perfect, demonstrates to Klara what real love, even if painful, looks like.
Klara’s desire to save Josie revolves around the Sun, which stems from a few places. First, while in the store she bore witness to the seeming resurrection of Beggar Man and his dog and the incredible reunion of Coffee Cup Lady and Raincoat Man. Because the Sun was shining his rays on those individuals and creating an aura of warmth, light, and vitality, Klara assumes that the Sun “saved” Beggar Man and his dog and has power to bring people together. Second, Klara is a solar-powered creature herself, so she knows how important the sun is to AFs; it’s literally built into her machinery. So, as Josie sickens, Klara decides that the best way she can do something about it is to appeal directly to the Sun—she will have to go to Mr. McBain’s barn as the sun is setting and offer up her fervent pleas.
From the first time the reader sees that Klara capitalizes “Sun” in her narrative and personifies him by describing his potential feelings and motivations, all benevolent and life-sustaining, it is clear that she views him as a godlike figure. Ian J. Battaglia writes that she’s “developed a sort of heliocentric religion for herself, stemming from the fact that she draws power from the Sun (in an even more linear sense than we do), and assuming the same must be true for people, hopes to appeal to the Sun directly to cure Josie. This becomes something of a quest for her, which she looks for opportunities to work towards, finding moments to herself to make her appeals.”
James Woods agrees, writing that “Klara begins to construct a world view—a cosmogony, really—around her life-giving god. If the Sun nourishes AFs, it must nourish humans, too. If the Sun is a god, then perhaps one might pray to this god; one might, eventually, bargain and cajole, as Abraham did with the Lord.” And Brian Finney adds, “‘Klara’ comes from the Latin word for ‘bright’ or ‘shining.’ She is solar-powered, which makes her think of the sun, which she personalizes, as a divinity… Klara appeals to the sun to help heal [Josie]. But she also sacrifices a vital component of her mechanism to win the sun’s help. It is this sacrifice, rather than her strange religious belief in the sun, that is significant. She would willingly give up her existence if it led to Josie’s recovery. With this act of devotion reveals how far Klara’s humanity exceeds that of any of the human characters.” Klara has three “meetings” with the Sun, two in McBain’s barn and one at the Cootings Machine.
The first meeting is here in Part Three, and it finds Klara traveling through the field on her own until Rick finds her and helps her. She knows “what I was about to do carried risk, and would require all my concentration” (160). When she gets inside the barn she has a tough time making sense of everything she sees there, and once she sits down, notes that “I fully expected to see a revised picture of my surroundings due to the altered angle, but was surprised to find that everything had instead become partitioned —and not just into the usual boxes, but into segments of irregular shapes” (162). She begins speaking (inside her mind), begging the Sun to make Josie better and explaining that she’s a child and has done wrong. But she is worried that the Sun cannot distinguish Josie from other humans, especially those who anger him by making pollution, and says “I suddenly felt foolish to have come to this place to make such a request” (163). She decides she will try something else: “Supposing I could do something special to please you. Something to make you particularly happy” (164). That special thing will be to “find this machine [the Cootings Machine] and destroy it. To put an end to its Pollution” (164). Klara’s knowledge is limited, and she does not know that there are many, many pollution-producing machines in the world. Nevertheless, her earnestness is admirable and heartwarming; she does not need to try and save Josie, was never told to do so, yet has taken this on as her mission.
