Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1928

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-6

Part 2, Chapters 1-7

Part 3, Chapters 1-5

Part 4, Chapters 1-6

Part 5, Chapters 1-3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 5, Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “Market Is Done”

Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary

In the absence of romance, Angela recommits herself to her art, applying for a scholarship to study in France. She imagines retorting to the casually offensive comments her white acquaintances make about Black people: “‘I’m one of them,—do you find me worthless or dishonest or offensive in any way?’ Such a denouement would have, she felt, been a fine gesture” (333). Still, she doesn’t act upon this impulse, feeling that it would not compel them to change.

Time passes, and Angela notes that Virginia is in no hurry to get married. Angela is awarded the scholarship to France, as is the (openly) Black student, Miss Powell. However, when the scholarship sponsors learn about Miss Powell’s race, they withdraw their financial support and she loses the opportunity. Angela wonders whether she should reveal her own Black identity, but decides not to make a personal sacrifice based on mere principle.

White reporters interview Miss Powell, insinuating that her desire to accept the scholarship is an ill-disguised attempt to agitate for racial equality—a stance that cannot be accommodated. The reporters also imply that Miss Powell would be an unwelcome presence on the steamer ship that would take the winners to France, as no self-respecting white person would want to share a berth with her. Further, they use Angela’s lack of protest about the situation to prove their point, which becomes the catalyst for Angela to respond. She states that she’d be happy to share a room with Miss Powell, but since she won’t be going to France, this is a moot point: “You imply that she’s not wanted because she’s coloured […] Well, I’m coloured too,” she exclaims (347).

Her revelation leads not only to the revocation of her scholarship but also to the loss of her job. Yet, Angela is actually happier than she’s been in a long time, because she finally realizes that “the complications of these last few years […] have been based on this business of ‘passing’ […] You can’t fight and create at the same time” (354). In any event, her old friend Martha Burden offers to pay for her passage to Paris, so ultimately, Angela can go. She also learns that Virginia has not yet married Anthony because she would rather marry Matthew or else live with Angela. Angela is dismayed on Anthony’s behalf.

Part 5, Chapter 2 Summary

Angela returns home before her voyage to Paris and finds Philadelphia the small-minded place she always thought it was. She goes to look at her childhood home only to find an unfriendly Black woman refuse her request, suspicious of her motives. As she slams the door on Angela, the woman mumbles that she wants nothing to do with “poor white trash,” having mistaken Angela for white (363). Angela looks forward to leaving for France.

She meets up with Matthew, who reveals that, though he was in love with Angela when they were adolescents, he has since fallen for her sister Virginia. Angela, knowing Virginia’s feelings, encourages Matthew to write to Jinny and tell her about his feelings. She wants her sister to be happy.

Angela also refuses Ralph Ashley’s proposal of marriage, deciding instead to follow her own path in Paris. She is done with complications for the moment.

Part 5, Chapter 3 Summary

At first, Angela adores Paris, with its cultural attractions and more tolerant atmosphere. After a while, though, she becomes lonely yet again, and as the holidays arrive, her loneliness grows palpable. Instead of sinking into self-pity, however, she decides to attend a party. She returns late and falls into bed, too tired to check on the Christmas present Virginia has promised to send her.

The next morning, her roommate wakes Angela and says she has a gentleman caller. Angela pulls on a robe and goes down to the drawing room, where Anthony is sitting. The book ends with Anthony’s explanation: “‘There ought to be a tag on me somewhere,’ he remarked apologetically, ‘but anyhow Virginia and Matthew sent me with their love’” (379). Apparently, Matthew has confessed his love for Virginia, and Anthony is now free: Both sisters get happy endings and fairy tale marriages—just as their parents did.

Part 5, Chapters 1-3 Analysis

Angela’s public revelation of her racial origins finally frees her from the inauthentic and fraught life she has been leading. In fact, instead of feeling distraught by the withdrawal of her scholarship to France or by the potential contraction of her opportunities, she feels freer than ever. Indeed, by reclaiming her authentic identity, she finally finds liberation and contentment. Angela’s self-centered desires have matured into a selfless determination to help her sister find happiness, and to foster her own artistic career. She has not only been honest about her race, but she has also decided not to seek fulfillment in romantic relationships. For the first time, she is truly independent, if momentarily lonely.

By the end of the novel, Angela has come full circle, returning to herself both literally, as she visits her old home to Philadelphia, and spiritually, as she takes back her birth name of Angela Murray. She is proud of her accomplishments and secure in herself. Interestingly, her reclamation of her Black identity doesn’t lead to harsh recrimination; other than some shocked muttering in the media and some silence from former friends (notably Roger), Angela is not subjected to punishment. She will go to France with help from her progressive friends and family money, and ultimately, she will reconnect with her true love, Anthony. The novel rewards her for her audacity and authenticity.

The unusual sub-title of the book, “Novel without a Moral,” alerts the reader that, unlike other novels of “passing” written during this time period, there won’t be a brutal reckoning of Angela’s behavior: despite her transgressions, both racial and sexual, Angela gets to claim her own happy ending. The author signals to the reader from the very beginning that it is not the reader’s role—not, perhaps, even their right—to condemn Angela’s actions, and she takes great pains to explain the rational and compelling reasons for her morally and ethically complicated choices.