Chapter 22: Callanwolde II

In Chapter 22, Tom, Savannah and Luke graduate from high school.  Throughout the summer, they think about and prepare for the future.  Near the end of the summer is the “day on the island” that has been foreshadowed throughout the novel.  Callanwolde and two of his friends from prison come to the Wingo’s house and finally succeed in raping not only Lila, but Savannah and Tom as well.  Luke brings Caesar into the house and lets him kill Callanwolde, and Tom and Savannah kill their rapists.  Three days later, Savannah cuts her wrists for the first time.

We have been expecting Savannah to get raped since Chapter 2.  However, we were shocked that Lila and Tom also got raped and that Callanwolde was behind it.  Now we are wondering why Savannah was the only one who went crazy; all of them went through the same ordeal.

The main event in this chapter was absolutely horrifying.  The content alone is shocking, and the mood is heightened by the powerful language Conroy uses.  He describes the graphic details explicitly, so that we can fully grasp the severity of the event.  We were perturbed by the scene Conroy created.

The fact that Callanwolde came back shows that the events from Chapter 5 were not finished.  The Wingos thought they were safe after leaving Atlanta, but in reality, Callanwolde waited for the next 10 years to come back for them.  Part of the terror of Callanwolde’s visits is that they are never expected and interrupt the Wingos having a good time.  This is a continuation of his visits from Chapter 5 and was completely unexpected just like before.  Callanwolde is a symbol for the terror, evil, and destruction that seem to define the Wingo family.  In fact, we don’t consider him to be a character.  He does not seem human; he does not evolve or interact with people the way other characters do.  The events for which Callanwolde is responsible are not as significant as the long-lasting sense of dread that he instills in the Wingo children.

Savannah’s reaction to the event is more obvious and public than Tom’s; however, we think that Tom was more deeply affected than Savannah.  Although rape is a terrible and damaging thing, it happens to women often and does not threaten their femininity.  When men are raped, on the other hand, it shames them and goes against their masculinity.  Throughout the novel, Tom has said that he is a feminist, and this event clarifies the reasons for that.  A lot of feminists consider themselves feminists because they think that men don’t understand what it’s like to be a woman, to be abused, to be raped, or to feel the pressures with which women have to cope.  However, Tom does understand these things.  He has been abused and raped, and the role he plays in his marriage—cooking, cleaning, and taking care of his children—is usually considered a female role.  Tom has many masculine qualities, but he experiences things that feminist women believe are reserved for them.  Conroy uses this characteristic to shoe that everyone can experience the same problems regardless of gender. 

Tom has made it clear throughout the novel that he hates his mother, and until reading this chapter, we didn’t realize why his feelings were so strong.  Lila’s reaction to the events in their chapter reveal her selfishness and insensitivity.  Now we share Tom’s contempt for his mother.  We were disgusted with the way Lila tried to Lila tried to cover up the incident and ignored the mental and physical pain that her children were experiencing because of it.  Tom was a significant injury from being raped, but when he tries to explain to Lila, “My a**hole is torn up,” she denies the gravity of his problem and only chides him for using profanity and gives him a pad. 

This chapter is important to the characterization of all the Wingos and explains a lot about why they have responded to their childhood in the ways that they did.