But all of this is shattered, his life disrupted again, by his mother's stroke and paralysis. He goes with her to Granny's where she is tended by her brothers and sisters. They respond to her illness in a way that demonstrates other qualities that emerge from the society Richard inhabits. Out of the devastation and terror of their lives, not only have his people learned to endure oppression or use it against one another; they have also learned to support each other in times of trouble. They live as one body, sometimes inflicting wounds on itself, but just as often giving another member the will to survive.
Richard's attachment to his mother is foremost in his life. When she becomes ill, Richard goes to Greenwood with Uncle Clark and Aunt Jody because Greenwood is close to his mother. However, his stay with them is a miserable failure. His aunt and uncle mean well, but he cannot adjust to their attitudes toward him. Obsessed by a fear of death, always worried about his mother, he finally begs to be sent back to Granny's, thus disrupting his schooling again.
Richard hates being in his grandmother's house, but his one link with other people his mother is there. His mother, trapped within her sickness as they all are trapped within their environment, has once again unknowingly contributed to his independence. It is through her sickness that Richard is changed from a rebel without a cause into an individual with a fixed attitude toward life. This attitude will remain with him throughout his life. It comes from being a witness to the helpless suffering of the person he loves most in the world. His mother's paralysis, in his own words, grows into a symbol in his mind a symbol of the years that have come before and will come after. The futile wandering, the useless effort, the oppression and insecurity of their lives and all life are going to haunt him until his own death. Because of his view of the world, he will never be able to participate fully in happiness, and he will feel at home only with others who share his attitude.
