55 pages • 1 hour read
The Flower Sisters
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Chapters 31-39Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 31 Summary: “Violet-Rose”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of physical abuse, rape, and addiction.
The narrative shifts to the night of the explosion in 1928, as a secretly pregnant Violet falls asleep on the couch while waiting for her twin to return from the dance. Rose is attending the dance and pretending to be Violet; she has cut her hair short to match Violet’s as well. Violet dreams of a red lily that keeps escaping her grasp and wakes up when she hears her sister’s screams in her dream.
There is a rumble and a flash outside, and Violet’s mother wakes up to investigate as well. A naked and shaken Smiley turns up outside their door with news of the dance hall explosion. As Mrs. Flowers takes care of Smiley, Violet runs to the dance hall.
Violet remembers the time she taught Rose to dance and confessed her plans to have sex. A blushing Rose rejected this idea for herself; her beau, George Steinkamp, had only kissed her once on the cheek so far.
Now, Violet arrives at the now-destroyed dance hall, calling out for Rose. She has always felt a connection with her sister, and she is worried because that connection is absent now. Firefighters, police officers, and the townspeople mill about everywhere, and when Violet finally finds the place where the bodies are laid, she vomits at the sight and loses consciousness.
Violet wakes up in a hospital bed with her mother and George by her side. They tell her that her sister’s body was found. George hands Violet the heart-shaped locket that she gave her sister before the dance. Violet realizes that everyone thinks she is Rose and believes that Violet is the one who perished in the explosion. Wanting to protect her unborn child, Violet decides to play along and adopt her dead twin’s identity.
When Violet returns from the hospital, Mrs. Flowers hands her a braid of Rose’s hair, which she put together from the hair left behind after Rose’s haircut on the night of the dance. Mrs. Flowers is surprised that Rose parted with her beautiful hair. Violet, remembering how her sister agreed to the haircut for her sake, cries alone in the bathroom.
Violet does not see much of George in the days immediately following the explosion, as his family’s funeral home is busier than it has ever been. It is simultaneously the darkest and most prosperous time for the Steinkamps: Their business flourishes, but they are tasked with preparing the burnt and charred bodies of many townspeople. The Steinkamps eventually arrange for identical coffins and a large memorial stone in the town cemetery to house the 20 unidentified dead from that night.
After things settle down and George begins to come by more often, Violet convinces him to take her on a drive. Although George is initially surprised and hesitant when Violet initiates sex, he eventually gives in. Afterward, Violet begins to cry, and an alarmed George promises that they will get married right away. The couple is found by a sheriff; angered by the sheriff’s judgmental tone, Violet is rude to him. George apologizes on her behalf, explaining that she has just lost her sister in the explosion. The placated sheriff warns “Rose” against going down the same path that her sister took.
Despite the abrupt end to the night, George is invigorated by their intimacy and takes Violet to meet his parents the very next day. Neither parent is particularly thrilled by the news—Hermann is indifferent, while Gladys is suspicious. Nevertheless, George and Violet get married, and Violet even enjoys the initial months, unexpectedly coming to love George deeply. However, after she breaks the news of her pregnancy, Gladys reveals to Violet that she knows Violet tricked George into marrying her because she was already pregnant.
When Lettie is born three months “early,” Gladys notes that the baby does not appear premature. Lettie is loved by all the Steinkamps, but Gladys grows increasingly hostile toward Violet as Lettie grows and begins to look less like either of her parents. Gladys makes a direct comment about this when Lettie is a year old, leading George to confront Violet about Lettie’s parentage.
Furious and heartbroken when he learns the truth, George roughly forces himself on Violet. Hearing Lettie’s voice outside their bedroom door, he stops and leaves Violet alone, becoming deeply apologetic for his behavior. However, Violet and George’s relationship is irrevocably broken, and she lives a sad life, watching her mother and the Steinkamps die one by one over the years. George is only 46 when he dies, having wasted away from a combination of drinking and heartbreak. Violet’s existence is a lonely one for years, until Daisy finally comes along.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Daisy”
Daisy wakes up on the anniversary of the explosion (a Sunday morning) to find Roger making breakfast for Violet, as he has been doing recently. They discuss Daisy’s latest article, which has taken the town by storm.
Fence calls for Daisy, which surprises her—he initially refused to meet her when she arrived at The Picayune with her final article, and he only did so on Patty’s urging. However, after reading the story, he ran the article the very next day. Now, Daisy learns that Fence has summoned her to the armory for a special assignment; Violet and Roger offer to drop her off.
Daisy’s final article is published on August 11, 1978, and describes Violet and Rose’s story—the sister-swap, Rose’s death, and Violet's decision to assume her twin’s identity to hide a pregnancy outside of marriage.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Daisy”
Daisy arrives at the armory to find the place set up for a community potluck. Fence apologizes to her for his harsh words and unwarranted blame and asks her to keep reporting for The Picayune beyond the summer. Thinking about her mother’s radio silence, Daisy promises to think about it.
Fence leads Daisy down to the picnic, where a commemorative banner has been set up to mark the anniversary of the explosion. Daisy recognizes Joe’s handiwork on the banner. Daisy is greeted by applause from the townspeople. Joe presents her with a bouquet of daisies, and Fence makes a speech, praising her bravery and claiming her as part of the community. Myra and Smiley read out the names of the victims from the explosion, and Mabel adds Jimmy’s name to the list. The crowd holds a moment of silence for all the lives lost to the explosion, including Jimmy’s.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Dash”
Dash heads down to the memorial picnic, fuming and desperate to see Daisy’s “head on a pike and Fence McMillan’s right alongside” (345). Two days ago, Joe came by with Daisy’s final article, the contents of which deeply shocked and enraged Dash. Dash is furious that the story—which insinuates that Dash is the father of Violet’s child—has been published with no apparent corroboration.
Dash arrives just as the townspeople are holding a moment of silence for the victims. Seeing him approach, Fence invites him to say a few words. However, Dash takes the opportunity to rail against Violet’s blasphemy, claiming that he could have never created a child with someone like her. However, he is interrupted by Lettie’s unexpected arrival, and as Dash takes in Lettie’s features, he finally sees that she is his “own countenance in female form” (352).
Chapter 35 Summary: “Violet-Rose”
Violet, shocked at her daughter’s sudden appearance, watches Daisy embrace Lettie and pepper her with questions. Lettie reveals that she didn’t have enough money to keep her post office box, but Hazel tracked her down and informed her of Violet’s accident. As Lettie turns to her, Violet opens her arms to her daughter.
Chapter 36 Summary: “Daisy”
The townspeople break out into cheering and applause as Lettie and Violet embrace. Fence reclaims the mic, and after welcoming Lettie back, he introduces the final tribute: the last song that was playing at the dance hall before the explosion, “At Sundown.” Joe pulls Daisy onto the dance floor just as Mo Wheeler begins playing along on the saxophone. More people join them—including Violet, whose wheelchair Roger maneuvers onto the dance floor. Dash makes his way toward Violet and whispers something in her ear, and she breaks out into a brilliant smile.
Chapter 37 Summary: “Dash”
Dash asks for Violet’s forgiveness, and she acquiesces—on the condition that he dance with her. Dash gingerly holds Violet up, and they gently sway together. Dash reflects, “It is wonderful to behold. And to be held” (362).
Chapter 38 Summary: “Daisy”
Everyone is teary-eyed as Dash and Violet dance together, and the moment brings a sense of peace to the community. Daisy is happy and overwhelmed by the celebrations, especially when Joe takes her to meet his parents; he finally explains that he was adopted. Even Lettie appears comfortable and happy as she is warmly welcomed by the townspeople.
Later that night, after a game of cards with Lettie, Violet, and Roger, Daisy pretends to go to bed, but she prepares to sneak out and meet Joe. Lettie catches her, but when Daisy explains that she and Joe are meeting at the cemetery to honor the dance hall explosion, Lettie waves her on, reassuring her daughter that she will be there when Daisy returns. She also apologizes for letting Ron sway her and promises not to go away again.
Chapter 39 Summary: “Dash”
Joe’s parents take Dash home and settle him into his recliner chair, where he rests after an evening of dancing. With his eyes closed, Dash reflects on the events of the past few days. When he hears someone calling out to him, Dash gets up with uncharacteristic ease and discovers that he is hovering over his body, which appears to be sleeping.
Dash’s spirit rises into the sky, and he feels a deep love for the townspeople below. He sees their stories unfold. Patty tries on some nail polish in the quiet of her room while Ginger Morton is at the register in her pharmacy. (Dash knows that Ginger will eventually die from a fall off a ladder on another night.) At the same time, Roger resolves to propose to Violet as they play a game of cards, and Dash knows that she will accept. Lettie watches the scene, and Dash sees that she will leave town again by New Year’s Day. This time, she will ask Daisy to come along, but Daisy will choose to stay in Possum Flats.
Now, Dash watches Daisy run to meet Joe at the cemetery. The teenagers embrace, and Dash feels their joy; he then sees their relationship unfold over the years, crossing paths and veering away again at different times, and experiencing a deep bliss together on occasion.
Dash hears someone calling his name again, and suddenly, the dance hall appears before him, intact as it was 50 years ago. Charlie, Fern, Nell, Jimmy, and Rose, among others, are waiting there for him. As Dash dances with Rose, he spots his parents and his infant sister in attendance as well. Dash floats above Joe and Daisy, who are also dancing. He is reluctant to leave, but as he watches them, he realizes that life will go on without him. Dash finally lets go, asserting that “[l]ove is calling [him] home” (381).
Chapters 31-39 Analysis
In the novel’s final chapters, the town’s generational trauma begins to resolve itself bit by bit, and Daisy’s journalistic endeavors ultimately help the residents of Possum Flats to overcome The Enduring Impact of Past Tragedies by bringing them to light and finding a new path forward. As Violet’s account of her past reveals, her dishonesty in the days after the explosion condemned her to a lifetime of Loneliness and the Struggle to Connect. Dominated by her fear of public censure for becoming pregnant outside of marriage, Violet allows The Traumatic Effects of Shame and Secrecy to dictate the course of her life following the dance hall explosion, and she lives a secret, lonely life as Rose, devoid of emotional support from her husband, her in-laws, and her daughter. The lack of connection is a burden that Rose inadvertently passes down through the generations, for Lettie continues the same wild, impulsive patterns by leaving home as a teenager and raising Daisy more or less alone. Significantly, all of the Flowers women find a form of resolution following Violet’s confession about her past and true identity, and with this decisive conclusion, Anderson suggests that the healing of generational trauma can only occur when secret shame is replaced with honesty and earnest reconciliation.
Similarly, Anderson connects ideas of trauma, shame, and secrecy to the enduring impact of past tragedies. Following the publication of Violet’s story, the entire town comes together, ready to heal in the wake of the lingering tragedy of the explosion and Violet’s recent revelations about her past. This event represents a significant reversal, for rather than being blamed for dredging up the past, Daisy is honored at the memorial picnic and officially welcomed into the community. Whereas Jimmy’s death was a shock to the community, Daisy’s publication of Violet’s story serves as an antidote to the town’s pain and grief over losing such a prominent member of the community. With the truths of its past revealed, Possum Flats is forced to reexamine its overly judgmental perceptions of the explosion’s victims, and the townsfolk also acknowledge that the incident has impacted numerous lives in persistent and unseen ways. Daisy’s articles ultimately help to bring about this transformation, with Violet’s explosive revelations serving as the final piece of the puzzle. In this way, honesty helps the town’s inhabitants see how a past tragedy can inflict enduring damage, and only by openly grieving and remembering the event can they complete the healing process.
This final cathartic event is rooted in the need to shed decades of shame and secrecy. For example, when Violet finally chooses to end her code of silence about her past, she and the other townsfolk come together in a communal spirit of acceptance and reconciliation, and while Jimmy lacked the courage to test this for himself, he nevertheless receives the same acceptance posthumously. Even Dash manages to take this final step, and he openly accepts his past and lets go of his shame when he acknowledges Lettie as his daughter and apologizes to Violet for the hurt he has caused her. In turn, he, too, receives a soul-deep level of peace, and when his once-cantankerous and judgmental spirit leaves his corporeal body, he is filled with nothing but love for his community.
The Flowers sisters’ hair is an important symbol and plot device throughout the novel and in these final chapters. Rose’s freshly shorn bob is the detail that causes her body to be misidentified as Violet’s on the night of the explosion. Likewise, Violet’s long braid allows her to hide her true identity for the next 50 years. However, the symbol takes a paradoxical turn when Daisy moves her grandmother’s braid aside in a crucial moment and inadvertently discovers the truth of Violet’s identity. The Flowers sisters’ hair, therefore, becomes a symbol of deception and false identity, and only by looking beneath this disguise can Daisy uncover key information that leads to the novel’s climactic revelations.
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