Vigil
Naylor writes, “As the sun disappeared on the seventh day of his vigil, Luther Nedeed closed his eyes slowly and smiled.” The vigil entails “watching the path of the sun.” Nedeed’s watching is comparable a vigil because Nedeed conducts it continuously for a whole week. His neighbors are astonished by his actions throughout the entire week. Seemingly, the vigil permits Nedeed to meditate quietly which the aid of the sun.
“Plague of Worms”
Naylor explains, “Patterson said he was hauling his apples away from the field and the sight of Nedeed sitting there grinning…and when he got home, all the bushels facing Nedeed’s side on the road had fruit worms in them. ..After Patterson’s alleged plague of worms, Nedeed went and bought a team of horses.” Patterson covertly suggests that Nedeed is liable for the copious worms which invade his bushels. The insinuation would be credited to Nedeed’s blackness, which Patterson regards to be evil.
