Returning to Mary’s, the narrator is overwhelmed by the odor of cabbage, which reminds him of his impoverished childhood. The odor also makes him realize that cabbage is probably all Mary can afford, because he is still behind in his rent. Later, as he lies in bed listening to Mary singing, he resolves to be more responsible and decides to call Brother Jack to discuss his job offer.
The narrator is surprised to find that Brother Jack apparently expected his call, because he immediately gives the narrator directions to an address on Lenox Avenue. When the narrator arrives at the designated address, a car pulls up to the curb with three men inside, plus Brother Jack, who tells him to get in and informs him that they are going to a party. After a short ride through Central Park, the car stops and the men enter the Chthonian, an exclusive private club, where they are met by a sophisticated woman (later identified as Emma). Wondering about the contrast between the room’s lavish decor and the men’s poor clothing, the narrator surveys the scene. Brother Jack guides him into a larger, even more lavishly decorated room filled with well-dressed people. The narrator overhears Emma asking Jack if he thinks that the narrator is black enough to be an effective leader. Deeply offended by her remark, the narrator crosses to a nearby window where he remains lost in thought. Soon the narrator is asked to join a group in the library where he is given a new name and informed that he will be the new Booker T. Washington.
In the midst of the celebration, a belligerent drunk demands that the narrator sing an old Negro spiritual. Before the narrator can respond, Brother Jack orders the forcible removal of the man from the room, and the crowd lapses into an embarrassed silence, finally broken by the narrator’s near-hysterical laughter. After numerous apologies Emma asks the narrator to dance, and the party resumes.
Later that night, back at Mary’s, the narrator decides that it would be best to simply place his rent money on the table the following morning, in order to avoid an emotional farewell scene with Mary, and move into the apartment Brother Jack provided for him.
The next morning, he is awakened by the sounds of someone banging on the steam pipes. He looks for something to use to strike the pipes and discovers Mary’s coin-filled, cast-iron bank in the shape of “a very black, red-lipped, and wide-mouthed Negro,” which he finds obscene and repulsive. He bangs on the pipes with the bank, it shatters, and he frantically tries to hide the broken pieces and gather up the coins. But when Mary knocks on the door and tells him to come to the kitchen for breakfast, he hastily stuffs the pieces into his coat pocket, planning to get rid of them on the way downtown.
Realizing that he has no choice but to speak to Mary, he goes into the kitchen and tries to give her a hundred-dollar bill, which she at first refuses to accept. Suddenly, the kitchen is invaded by a horde of roaches that have been shaken loose from the steam pipes. After helping Mary kill the roaches and clean up the kitchen, he leaves to go shopping for his new clothes and to find his new apartment. Along the way, he tries unsuccessfully to get rid of the broken bank, but finally decides to add it to the items in his briefcase.
Later that evening, Brother Jack picks him up and takes him to an old sports arena in Harlem, the site of the Brotherhood rally where he is to give his first speech. Across the dressing room, tacked to a wall, a faded photograph of a former boxing champion blinded in the ring reminds the narrator of the stories his grandfather told him about the boxer. Finally called to the podium, the narrator delivers a passionate speech on dispossession, and is bewildered when Brother Jack and several other members of the Brotherhood criticize his speech for being “incorrect.” The evening ends with Brother Jack informing the narrator to report to Brother Hambro for training in scientific rhetoric.
Back in his apartment, the narrator reflects on his speech and realizes that he spoke spontaneously and from the heart. Pondering over exactly what he meant by declaring that by joining the Brotherhood, he felt “more human,” he recalls a lecture from his former literature teacher, Mr. Woodridge, on the problem of Stephen Daedalus. He also reflects on how his rejection and betrayal by Dr. Bledsoe and Mr. Norton brought him to the Brotherhood. As he drifts off to sleep, he imagines the leadership potential available to him through the Brotherhood and resolves to take full advantage of his new position.
