However, Peterson had asked if Emmett had visitors from out of town. Billy soon launches into a story about his own travels. This was very helpful! Emmett thinks to himself that he fully intends to do so and to take good care of his younger brother, Billy. The story is set in 1954 in Nebraska. It was also accompanied by five other cases Hamlet, Henry, Lear, Macbeth and Romeo. The police ended up tracking Woolly down, and he ended up in Salina. While I was very conscious of the recurrence of. Woolly is the beneficiary of a trust fund that should have come under his control now that he's 18. Before they leave, the manager waves down Woolly, who had forgotten a giant stuffed panda bear that hed purchased for his sisters baby. When questioned, Townhouse didnt squeal on Paco and Pico by saying that theyd rented him the car (in which case, he probably wouldve been let off with a stern warning). She arrives soon after Emmett. It causes him to fall into the water. Duchess seems to have misinterpreted Sister Agness teachings (by ignoring the parts about atonement and forgiveness) and instead seems to be using her words as an excuse to justify retribution towards others. Townhouses friends and his cousin Maurice goad him on. Next, Billy shows Emmett how he got the safe open (it was 1119, since the Gettysburg Address was November 19). Emmett tells Duchess that hes taking him to the cops, and things start to get physical between the two of them, but hes interrupted by Billy showing up. How have their parents choices influenced their own desires and ambitions? Emmett has carefully planned the trip so they can make it to Omaha to drop off Duchess and Woolly and then to San Francisco in four days flat. In the interim, a call had come in regarding a stable that was on fire. One day, Duchess had gone to check on Marceline to find him hanging from the ceiling fan. Fitzy soon shows up as expected. One night, Duchess had seen them sneak two boxes of Oreos from the pantry into Townhouses locker in order to get him in trouble. Then, as Duchess tries to hack open the safe, Woolly takes a bunch of pills and kills himself. (Basically, Abacus decides to go traveling with Ulysses via boxcar.). Much of the route in Wyoming today is dirt and gravel and is impassable for much of the year. They go to visit the offices and find a little old man who identifies himself as Professor Abernathe. by Amor Towles. Someone needs to proofread the summery. In that moment, Pastor John whacks Ulysses on the head with a staff, breaking it in two. The story begins with 18 year old Emmett Watson. To say that it was not for everyone is quite the understatement. He wants to settle accounts with him, since Duchess owes Townhouse for having gotten Townhouse in trouble once. How do you think Emmett, Duchess, Woolly, and Sallys various upbringingsparticularly their relationships to their parentshave shaped them? When Duchess inquires about his fathers whereabouts, the attendant Bernie says that the person to ask is Fitzy FitzWilliams. Do you agree with Emersons argument that what is within the individual is new to nature, and that we have no idea of what we can achieve until weve tried? Pastor John initially strikes up a conversation in hopes that Billy will share any food he has with him. Four horses died in that fire because the firemen (who had been in a grocery store nearby) werent able to locate their truck. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Pat In my opinion, Woolly suffered from arrested development (psychological development that is not complete) when he was around the age of 7 yrs old due to the tragic death of his Father which occurred at that time. She thinks about how they say the Lord answers all prayers, its just that sometimes he answers no.. He goes to Kaitlins first, who is not happy to see him there, asking why so many people are suddenly coming around looking for Woolly. Sally had lied, saying he didnt. Woolly's sister, Sarah, observes to Emmett: "If you take a trait that by all appearances is a merita trait that is praised by pastors and poets, a trait that we have come to admire in our friends and hope to foster in our childrenand you give it to some poor soul in abundance, it will almost certainly prove an obstacle to their happiness." That night, Emmett approaches Fitzy. Woolly admits that one of the four cars, a Cadillac convertible, is his, something he inherited from his father. As a clock chimes, he bows to each of them. From the moment that Pastor John says the name Ulysses, Billy seem fascinated by the man. Here we get a little more information on why Duchesss father may have taken off when he heard that Duchess was free. The Lincoln Highway Synopsis Emmett Watson, 18, is transported home to Nebraska by the superintendent of the adolescent work homestead in which he has recently served 15 months for inciting separatism in The Lincoln Highway. He disappears inside, and eventually Emmett goes looking for him. The trust fund is worth roughly $150,000. I needed to finish this for book club and ran out of time. He wants to start in media res (in the middle of the story), and he considers what the best starting point would be. When they accidentally run out of gas, Duchess realizes he has very little money for gas. At the show (which features two women riding on horses and shooting each others clothes off), Billy spots Woolly. When a hiss of steam indicates that the car is going to move again, Emmett rushes out. Finally, just before 8 oclock, Emmett shows up at Sarahs door. She was a 28-year-old-ish widow with no kids who worked as a teller at the bank. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is a coming-of-age story of four juvenile delinquents on a road trip, as well as the people they meet. He had then grabbed the shovel to wait for the right moment to knock Pastor John out. A caravan of cars speeds by and a nearby farmer rushes his family into a shelter. Throughout the novel, an array of stories are recalledstories drawn from Professor Abernathes. What role do these small legacies play within the larger themes of the novel? It seems to indicate that his father knew Duchess would come looking for him and did not want to be there when that happened. First of all, if you have come to this Reader's Guide because you have read A Gentleman in Moscow, I owe you my heartfelt thanks. In present day, Emmett and Sally piece together that it was likely Duchess who did it. sneaking out of juvie) in order to go. They leave to escape angry townspeople who believe Emmett got off . He has Billy with him and knows that bringing him was a mistake, since the area appears very rough. There are blank pages under the You chapter for the reader to write their own story as well. Later, Emmett finds Sally, who is upset with him. Billy has another idea: taking the continent-spanning Lincoln Highway to find their mother in San Francisco the last place she mailed a postcard from after she disappeared eight years ago. Before she can explain further, theyre interrupted by Duchess announcing that dinner is served. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. Emmetts father leaves Emmett a quotation from Ralph Waldo Emersons essay Self-Reliance as part of his legacy. At the park, Woolly notices a man feeding the birds and some squirrels (the Birdman) by placing kernels of popcorn all over himself. . Elsewhere, Abacus thinks about his own life. In case its not clear, her phone calls explain the calls Woolly received at the beginning of the chapter. When you were eighteen, which aspects of your parents lives did you hope to emulate, and which did you hope to cast aside? Duchess warns Emmett that hes willing to shoot him if hes left with no other choice. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This was very helpful to me, especially the careful chronological summary of the events. He gets Harry's former address from his agency. Duchess now turns to setting accounts with Townhouse, who was the one had gotten in trouble at one point after Duchess convinced him to sneak out to see a movie, Hondo. He asks them to make a pit stop at the orphanage he stayed in for a few years as a child (because his father abandoned him there temporarily). When they pass by a large stone building, Duchess says he used to live there and asks to take a look for just a minute. Amor Towles' The Lincoln Highway is part road novel and part Homeric epic, and it's a magical piece of masterly storytelling. She brings over a jar of home-made strawberry preserves as well. None of them are major and they dont detract from the content at all. However, the brothers soon discover that Duchess and Woolly, teens from the detention center, escaped and stowed away in the warden's car to the Watson farm. When Warden Williams later had them all take an accounting class about balancing your accounts, Duchess started to understand what Sister Agnes had been teaching them. Theyve promised to return by June 18. Duchess plans to start a new life after all of this and wants to clear out any debts he owes or owed to him before he does. Duchess uses the opportunity to knock Emmett out. He thinks it might begin with an S. Duchesss next stop is room 42 at the Sunshine Motel, a room where his father, Harrison Harry Hewett, used to stay. However, the following February, a few weeks after Billy was born, his mother seemed tired all the time. What smaller legacy have you received that has meant a great deal to you? Hes especially fascinated by a story about them doing a civil defense test that resulted in them shutting down all activity in 54 cities across America for ten minutes. He finds Ackerly asleep in a BarcaLounger in the living room with a smile on his face. For the pink pills, some sort of downer, anti-anxiety pill, it seemed like? Emmett reluctantly agrees. Sheriff Peterson offers to drive Emmett back in his Studebaker and to let him clean up at his house before dropping him off. Chapters 10 and 9 open with Emmett Watson (18) returning home to Morgen, Nebraska (dropped off by Warden Williams) after having spent a year in juvenile detention for killing Jimmy Snyder. I was also guessing that Sarah was taking an opiate, like ladanum or opium (brown bottle) that when mixed with a Benzodiazepine like valium would be deadly. The second is because his father knew it technically belonged to his creditors. Emmett is angry with Duchess but he thinks about how before they left, Billy had asked Emmett to promise that whenever you feel like hitting someone in anger, first youll count to ten. They escaped by hitching a ride in the warden's trunk without anyone realizing it. Given inflation, $50,000 in 1954 would be the equivalent of about $500,000 today. Welcome back. Woolly, the other stowaway, is a sweet, stunted, "medicine"-addicted naf from a wealthy Northeastern family. As as and Billy now stand over Pastor Johns unconscious body, Stew gets up as well. Afterwards, Emmett sees Woollys will which was duly signed and dated. Hed found the $150,000. As they drive, Sally says that the sheriff came by her place because the cowboy hat guy that had confronted Emmett (along with Jake Snyder) had been attacked. Emmett immediately declines. Duchess explains that it required some initiative (i.e. He advises Emmett that the only type of person these receptionists are inclined to help are producers, since they hold the purse strings. There are a number of smaller legacies in the novel. At this point it becomes clear that Duchesss relationship with his father is is even worse that we previously realized, since his father felt the need to disappear when he learned Duchess was not at Salina. He then says hes going to drive to the police station with Duchess and leads him outside, but Duchess resists. In the meantime, the Snyders had told everyone that Emmett had punched Jimmy for accidentally bumping into him. In present day, Emmett thanks Mr. He decides he needs to go find Duchess in the Adirondacks. However, Townhouse is reluctant to hit Duchess at first, and he tells them to shut up. There, he causes a commotion and then drives off with Woolly in Emmett's car (and inadvertently with all of Emmett's money), headed to New York. Emmett plans to move them to Texas, a plan he has carefully researched. Emmett then asks to change the subject. There were also other reports of thefts at the hotel, and Fitzy swore a statement saying hed seen Duchess exiting rooms where he shouldnt have been. The last postcard she sent also talks about how the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Franciscos Lincoln Park has a huge firework show on July 4th each year. He sees that Maurice is mixed race (part black and part white) and imagines that he struggles to fit in. The book features a number of great travelers and adventurers, both real and fictional. Additionally, one of the other bunkmates in Bunkhouse Four (where they all lived) was Tommy Ladue, an Oklahoman who is racist. His father then proceeded to drive off with Miss Maples, leaving Duchess behind as he realized [hed] been had. In the summer of 1954, Emmett Watson is heading home from a stint at a juvenile work farm to a failing Nebraska farm to collect his younger brother Billy and retrace their mother's earlier journey on the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco. Today, hed be looking around the house for other tools. One day, he was asked to do a recitation of Karl Marxs Communist Manifesto at a large event, a gig he undertook with diligence. He sees that it was given to him by Ellie Matthiessen, the librarian. May 23, 2022 / by / in houses for rent by owner in ellijay, gahouses for rent by owner in ellijay, ga As a result, he was sentenced to 12 months in Salina. They arrive at an area near some abandoned tracks with a makeshift encampment. like. what medicine is woolly taking in the lincoln highway. Duchess can tell that Townhouse is their leader. Meanwhile, Duchess and Woolly have driven as far as Illinois by now. Web design by Adrian Kinloch, The Lincoln Highway: Questions For Consideration. Billy puts on the watch. His father been part of a revue that was raising money for the war effort. They want Emmett and Billy to drive them to New York to retrieve a $150,000 trust fund that has been withheld from Woolly, that they offer to split three ways. Then he thinks about it and forcefully knocks Duchess out. When Emmett goes to ask the Ransoms to jump his car, Duchess takes the opportunity to talk to Billy. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon! However, he quickly decides that thered be no point to it. The entire novel takes place over just 10 days in June of 1954, but they are a busy 10 days for Emmett, Billy, and the two colorful escapees, Duchess and Woolly. At the risk of sounding condescending, (but that is not my intention), there are a couple of typos I would be happy to point out if youd like. Mr. Ransoms daughter Sally soon shows up with Billy and a casserole for them in tow. When Emmett was 15, he asked Mr. Schulte, the carpenter, to work for him in the summers. However, Sally says that the sheriff came to see her. For him, there are three main debts one he owes to someone else, and two debts that are owed to him. Emmett tries to get Duchess to leave (this place that appears to be a brothel), but before he can, a woman there (Ma Belle) shoves him into a room with one of the prostitutes, Charity. Billy quickly falls asleep. In July, his mother didnt seem to want to go see the fireworks. He says that she is accustomed to nursing her furies and speaking her mind which makes her unsuited to matrimony. They explain that they stowed away in Warden Williams's trunk and have a proposition for Emmett. What aspect of their journeys are unique to their times, and what aspects were shared by you when you were on the verge of adulthood? Ask the Author. Duchess thinks about the teachings of Sister Agnes, a nun at St. Nicholass Home for Boys where his father had dropped him off. One of Woolly's relatives actually says something like since his Father's death, he hasn't been . When he heads back, hes dismayed to see a police officer placing a parking ticket on Emmetts car. The Lincoln Highway is the story, mainly, of four boysbrothers Emmett and Billy Watson and Emmett's friends Woolly and Duchesstrying to come to terms with life and loss in 1954. Two years later his father came to reclaim him, but Sister Agnes knows how damaging it mustve been for him to be abandoned out of convenience. When he told his father, Harry instructed him to go downstairs to call the police. Townhouse then directs Emmett to where Duchess will be that night, which turns out to be a raunchy circus show attached to a brothel. Dennis then yells at Woolly about how irresponsible he is. However, Ulysses kills him and drops his body into the river. Odd choice. Upon hearing this, Emmett flat-out rejects the plan, saying he wants no part in it and that hes going to drop them off at the greyhound station in Omaha on Monday. However, they were soon interrupted by some officers because the owner of the Skylark had spotted them out driving. They arent home, so they enter though the (four-car) garage. Now, after kicking Duchess, Billy hides in a space under the stairs that Woolly had previously described to him. After that, for weeks on end, Sally had prayed that her father would marry Alice, so that hed have someone else to do his housework. Duchess looks at Maurice, who still looks unhappy, and feels badly for him. Duchess (nicknamed because he was born in Dutchess County) explains that they hid in the wardens trunk to hitch a ride here. The next morning, Sally Ransom, their neighbor and a former romantic interest of Emmett's drops by. 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