In this post, we are going to summarise Elma Shaw’s Liberian post-war novel, Redemption Road, from chapters nineteen to twenty-six.
Chapter 19 Summary
Chapter 19 of Redemption Road is the beginning of the second part of the novel, which is titled Truth Lights the Way. This chapter, which begins in the offices of the Thomas & Reeves Law Firm, reveals Bendu’s efforts to seek justice. Calvin’s friend, John Reeves, has assigned one of his junior attorneys, Counselor Marlon Gray, to handle Bendu’s case pro bono. Bendu would otherwise be unable to afford such legal representation.
Bendu expresses her frustration over the widespread apathy and fear among Liberians. She is disturbed by the complacency of the citizens who continue to be victimised by the same warlords and corrupt officials who had ruined the country in the first place. Calvin argues that citizens have chosen the leaders they deserve, while Bendu points out that some of the leaders were appointed without the people’s input.
She looks out from one of the large windows in the law firm’s office and sees key governmental buildings like the Executive Mansion, Capitol Building, and Temple of Justice. These buildings symbolise a system meant to work for the people’s good, though Bendu knows the reality within those walls is different.
Bendu and Siatta are ushered into Counselor Gray’s office. When Gray hears about Bendu’s recent ordeal on the beach with Moses Varney, he expresses that he can now press “real charges.” Bendu is offended by his choice of words. They spark a reaction from Bendu and Siatta. The lawyer tries to redeem himself by explaining that he meant current charges that are easier to prove, rather than undermining Bendu’s previous attempts to seek justice. He claims it is difficult to prosecute warlords until there is a Truth and Reconciliation Commission or a War Crimes Tribunal in Liberia.
Bendu, however, recounts the atrocities she had seen rebels commit during the war. She does this to validate her previous quest for justice against Moses Varney for his war crimes, and to disabuse Gray’s mind of the impression that prosecution of Varney is trivial in the scheme of things. She told him about how some fighters had cut a pregnant woman open just to know whether she was carrying a boy or a girl. Gray, who like Siatta was not in Liberia at the peak of the war, is unnerved by Bendu’s recount of the horrific war story.
She also told him about how a child soldier had shot a woman dead because she had answered him that she was going to the border. He shot her twice for her to literarily get to the border faster. Bendu ends her narrative with the resolve to seek justice against Moses Varney for his war crimes no matter how hard it may be. Gray promises to pursue charges against Moses Varney for abduction and assault. Gray claims that Varney will be apprehended within the hour at El Meson with the writ of arrest.
Chapter 20 Summary
Bendu is lying down for an afternoon nap in a guest room at Siatta’s house. Comforted by the calming decor of the room, she feels she is finally on her journey to recovery after many difficult years. She reflects on her plans to call her parents and to have a conversation with Calvin. She wonders if they will forgive her and still love her despite her past.
Bendu falls asleep and starts to dream about her past attempted escape from Duluma camp. In her dream, it is early morning, and Bendu, along with other women, are gathering firewood. The woods around their camp have been stripped bare, and they are scouting for a new place.
She tells the other women she needs to go into the bush for a private moment. Once they are a safe distance away, she moves in the direction of what she hopes is a nearby village for help.
The sun is unbearably hot, and Bendu is hungry and thirsty, but she continues to walk away from Duluma. However, she continues the journey, motivated by the taste of freedom and the hope for assistance and transport to town. She encounters illusions of Granny May, Jonah (her deceased lover), and one of Cobra’s men who returned to face death in the oven for going “AWOL for three days” (p. 31). Bendu is determined not to have a similar fate to the man.
As the sun sets, she begins to see signs of life as she spots roadside traders and people as she continues her journey. Unfortunately, as she approaches the market, she is recognised by someone who accuses her of being a spy from Duluma. The crowd attacks Bendu, with some of the onlookers calling for her death.
Fortunately, an old man arrives and saves Bendu from the mob. She remembers meeting the old man in Charlue Town, where he prayed for her because she didn’t abandon her grandmother.
As the chapter 20 ends, the villagers escort Bendu back to Duluma to face Cobra and Samson, “a fate she considers worse than death” (p. 132). One distinctive thing about this chapter though is that much of it is written in italics, to signify that Bendu is in a dream reliving fragments from her past.
Chapter 21 Summary
Chapter 21 of Redemption Road opens with Moses Varney feeling like everything is going wrong. He is expecting the first shipment of arms that night and he is focused on ensuring that the operation proceeds smoothly. However, his thoughts are haunted by his past actions, particularly his encounter with Bendu Lewis, whom he had harmed. He questions why he didn’t kill her when he had the chance and reflects on the trauma she endured and how she refuses to let him go unpunished.
Varney is plagued by the guilt of his past atrocities. His memories are filled with the screams of women, men, and babies, and the horrors he inflicted on them during the war. Despite his reputation as a ruthless figure, he privately weeps over his actions and longs for some form of redemption.
He plans to flee Monrovia after securing the first shipment of arms. He is aware that people will be after him, especially after what he did to Bendu, and he cannot risk being found by the wrong people.
This chapter also reveals to the reader that Moses is trapped in a dichotomy. Publicly, he maintains the image of a ruthless killer, but internally, he is tormented by his guilt and drug use. His coping mechanisms include using drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin to numb the pain and silence the demons from his past.
The reader is also given a glimpse, through Varney’s rumination, of how Liberia fell into a consuming blood-letting crisis that turned it inside out. It takes the reader on a brief journey from 1980 coup and the consequent President Tolbert’s assassination, the disillusionment that followed the initial euphoria that greeted the new administration, to the disloyalty within Taylor’s government. He questions why they had to kill over two hundred thousand of their own people in the war (p. 136). His mind goes back to Bendu, and he regrets rekindling his relationship with her.
As Varney prepares for the night’s operation, he receives a call from the chief (his boss) informing of legal trouble with Bendu. The Duluma case has been dropped, but new charges of assault and battery have been levied against Varney. In fact, “a writ of arrest” (p. 154) has been issued for him. The chief orders him to meet them at the Paynesville house immediately. He tacitly relieves Varney of the arm shipment mission, questioning his commitment to the mission and why he has to expose himself when he is meant to be undercover. While Varney reassures the chief of his commitment, the latter does not sound convinced as he insists that Varney see him and the others in their agreed rendezvous in fifteen minutes.
Chapter 22 Summary
This chapter opens with Bendu in the throes of a nightmare where she is back in Duluma, being led by angry villagers to face Commander Cobra and Samson, and the eventuality of the dreaded oven. However, the villagers begin to disappear, and soon enough, Bendu finds herself walking alone until she reaches a mountain top with a beautiful landscape, where she feels happy and free.
She wakes up famished and with a slight headache but filled with joy and happiness that for the first time, her recurring nightmare had transformed into a dream of freedom. She examines her stitches, hoping they won’t leave a horrible scar.
She notices it is dusk and the moon is shining brightly. She takes the time to ponder on the tumultuous events that had transpired on the beach with Varney. She acknowledges that despite her initial reluctance, she feels safer staying in Mamba Point. She is wary of returning to her own house until Varney, who had abducted and tortured her, is behind bars.
Bendu takes a shower and goes to living room where she speaks with her sister, Siatta. The latter tells her that someone had tipped them off that Varney had moved to King’s Castle. But before the police could swoop down on him, he managed to escape once again.
Counselor Gray then comes into picture. He has been sent by Reeves to give them an update about the ongoing case against Moses Varney. Gray tells them that someone from the court who has connection with Varney and his people must have tipped him off about the writ of arrest (This could be Judge Dagoseh).
When asked by who called him with the tip of where Varney is staying, Gray answers that the tipper did not reveal his identity, but told him to tell her that “nothing’s spoiled.” This expression makes Bendu gasp because it is the trademark words of Joseph, Varney’s driver. His betrayal of his boss’s whereabouts is his own way of propitiation for the wrong he did Bendu by aiding Varney in her kidnap.
As the police continues to look for Varney, Gray suggests they publish a restraining order in the newspaper for Bendu’s safety. He also warns Bendu not to go back to her, to which Siatta assures him that she is not going to leave Mamba Point. However, Bendu is adamant on not being trapped in Siatta’s house, saying she will go out whenever she wants.
After Gray leaves, Bendu and Siatta discuss personal matters. Siatta suggests she calls their parents (Mommie and Daddy). Siatta is still confounded by how Bendu is able to keep “such a huge secret for so many years” (p. 145). Siatta also asks Bendu about Calvin’s reaction to the divulgement at the hospital and Bendu replies that they have not spoken since then. Siatta is concerned that Calvin may bring in “the Liberian man nonsense” (p. 145), which involves having girlfriends on the side and secret children too. She talks about how her own husband, Terrance, is keeping company with other women, an accusation justified by his elusiveness and which he himself has admitted by word of mouth. Siatta says she is no longer sleeping with him, especially with the prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan African, that she does not want to die of AIDS. Her admission of her husband’s infidelity shows that all is not well in their marriage.
Bendu later calls her parents. It turns out that her mother, Eva Lewis, is excited about the prospect of already having a grandchild. She subjects Bendu to a barrage of questions about her granddaughter. Bendu suddenly realises that her daughter is still lost, and she hasn’t made any attempt to look for her.
Chapter 23 to 26 Summaries
Chapter 23, 24, 25 and 26 summaries of Redemption Road can be found in our study guide. You can proceed to our store to buy Study Guide: Redemption Road by Elma Shaw.
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Other Chapters:
- Chapter 1 to 5 Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Chapter 6 to 10 Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Chapter 11 to 15 Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Chapter 16 to 18 Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Chapter 27 to 34 Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
Further Reading:
- Characters in Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Plot Summary of Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
- Themes in Elma Shaw’s Redemption Road
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