The Day of the Locust Chapter 24 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Tod wakes up as hung over as a fraternity pledge. He decides to check up on Homer and apologize for the way he acted last night.
  • Faye's car is missing. So are the chickens. Nobody responds to Tod's knocks, but the door is unlocked, so he creeps inside.
  • Homer is "sitting on the couch and staring at the backs of his hands" (24.4). Tod tries to talk to him, but Homer won't say a word.
  • Tod goes to make coffee. He also sneaks a peek at Faye's room, which is now completely empty.
  • Homer tells Tod that he's going home to Waynesville. Then he starts crying. He finally admits that Faye left him, and he tells Tod what happened in a rambly, near incomprehensible way.
  • After Homer stormed back inside last night, he hid in another room to watch Faye dance. Earle had tried to kiss her, which sent her scurrying to the exact spot where Homer was.
  • Faye got ticked off when she found Homer. The two got into a huge argument, which prompted Faye to put on more makeup and Homer to crash into a depressive funk.
  • Homer checked on Faye again after the fight. She was lying in bed and "called him Daddy and kissed him and said that she wasn't angry at him at all" (24.46).
  • Homer woke up later to the sound of Faye moaning. Confused, Homer opened the door and found her in bed with Miguel.
  • Earle had heard the moaning, too, and he stormed in, attacking Miguel. The two men fought in the hallway, and Homer went back to his room to sleep.
  • When Homer woke up, everyone was gone. The only things that remained were "Earle's boots in the hall" (24.46).