53 pages 1 hour read

Leif Enger

I Cheerfully Refuse

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 2024

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 20-27

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 20 Summary: “O God That Maple Fretboard”

Rainy docks at a nearby town and soon encounters the girl who was fishing with the trident. She tells him that her uncle, King Richard, owns a shop that sells gas and food. Rainy grabs an empty gun and takes it with him to trade. The girl tells him that the town is named Winton, and Rainy notices that everyone carries a gun. King Richard’s store is closed, but the girl takes Rainy to King Richard, who is sitting under a cross made of rifles on his lawn. Rainy trades his gun for supplies and heads back out onto the water.

A few hours out from Winton, Rainy finds the girl stowed away on Flowers. She begs Rainy not to take her back and explains that King Richard isn’t actually her uncle and abuses her. She tells Rainy that she used to live with her grandfather, Papa Griff, in Redfield. Rainy feels conflicted, neither wanting to abandon her nor be responsible for her. He sails them back to town and strikes a deal with King Richard, trading his guitar for the girl’s freedom. As Rainy leaves with the girl, she introduces herself as

blurred text

blurred text

Related Titles

By Leif Enger

Study Guide

logo

Peace Like a River

Leif Enger

Peace Like a River

Leif Enger

Study Guide

logo

Virgil Wander

Leif Enger

Virgil Wander

Leif Enger