The novel now leaps forward four years to Nel’s marriage to Jude Greene. Just twenty, Jude, a waiter at the Hotel Medallion, craves a job that will allow him to work with his hands and sweat while doing it. When he learns that Medallion is planning to build a new road down to the river, Jude is excited about the prospect of working with other men and establishing a sense of camaraderie with them. Daily, he goes to the job site hoping that he will be picked to work, but the foreman chooses only men who are not black. Enraged, Jude sees his dreams of hard work and male friendship crushed. Nel responds to his vulnerabilities by accepting his marriage proposal.
As the wedding reception begins to wind down, Nel sees Sula leave the party. Although Nel does not know it at the time, Sula is leaving the Bottom and will not return for ten years.
