Bastard Out of Carolina Chapter 16 Summary

  • The next day, nothing happens concerning the incident at Woolworth's, even though Bone keeps expecting something to happen.
  • Alma and Anney both spent the night at Ruth's, so all the cousins are being cared for by Temple.
  • Bone falls asleep while reading and wakes up to Anney's tear-stained face.
  • Bone is worried that she did something terribly wrong, but Anney instead tells her that Ruth died. Bone thinks about how, despite seeing how frail and thin Ruth had been, she had not actually expected her to die.
  • Anney reminisces about how Ruth pretty much raised her, how she was never pretty, and how she once said that she loved having babies because it was proof that she was worth something. Anney got angry at her then for thinking that she wasn't worth something on her own.
  • Anney tells Bone to go get her some cream for her eyes, and when Bone gets back Anney is crying. She hugs Anney, who asks Bone if she knew how much Ruth loved her. Anney says that she wishes she was sure Ruth knew of her own beauty.