47 pages • 1 hour read
The Best of Me
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Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary
The next day, Amanda meets Dawson at Tuck’s place, and they drive down to Tuck’s cottage in Vandemere in the Stingray. Amanda apologizes for her intimate behavior the previous day and tells Dawson that she has not mentioned him to her mother or husband. During the drive, Amanda feels at ease and is tempted to imagine a future with Dawson. They negotiate paths through the wilderness to reach the cottage and are astounded by its beautiful setting.
Chapter 12 Summary
Tuck’s cottage in Vandemere is idyllic and cozy, surrounded by a garden of colorful wildflowers. It is the garden that Tuck has planted for Clara. Dawson and Amanda take in the beauty of the surroundings, and Amanda is glad to be there with Dawson. The cottage is tastefully decorated, and its hominess prompts Amanda to again imagine a future with Dawson.
They open Tuck’s letter that is meant to be read before scattering his ashes. In the letter, Tuck describes the powerful spiritual connection he felt with Clara. When he was in the navy, his ship was bombed, and he was adrift in the ocean with little hope of survival. Nevertheless, he sang his and Clara’s favorite song, “For Me and My Gal,” hoping that the song would reach Clara and he would make it back to her. Eventually, he was rescued and reunited with Clara. Later, Clara revealed that she had dreamt of Tuck singing to her the same night Tuck’s ship was bombed. This incident reinforced Tuck’s belief in the power of love, and he planted the garden for her, continuing to grow flowers even after her death. The more he tends the garden, the closer he feels to Clara, until he eventually began to “see” and “hear” her in his house.
Dawson and Amanda are touched and amazed by Tuck’s story. Thinking about Tuck’s undying love for Clara and the fate that reunited them, they scatter Tuck’s ashes in the garden. As it is getting late, they decide to spend the night in the cottage. Amanda admits that she has never loved Frank as much as she has loved Dawson and suspects that it is the underlying reason for the problems in her marriage. Later, they play music and slow dance, and afterward, Amanda leads Dawson to the bedroom.
Chapter 13 Summary
A sick Abee and an injured Ted lie in wait at Tuck’s place in Oriental for Dawson and Amanda to return. Abee is tormented by thoughts of Candy having affairs with other men. As the night progresses, they get more impatient and furious. Eventually, they realize that the couple will not be returning that night and go home.
Chapter 14 Summary
On Sunday morning, Amanda wakes up in the Vandemere cottage to find Dawson in the yard. He gives her a four-leaf clover as a symbol of luck. He confides to her about his accidents on the rig, Ted’s attack, and the visions that he has been having. Amanda is glad to feel close to Dawson but again is troubled by the intimacy they have been sharing. They leave Vandemere and return to Tuck’s place in Oriental. When they arrive, they are shocked to see Amanda’s mother waiting for them at the house.
Chapter 15 Summary
As Amanda prepares to defend her actions in front of her mother, Dawson goes to the garage and reads Tuck’s letter to him. In the letter, Tuck tells him that Amanda is going through a difficult time and may not be able to make the right decisions. Dawson needs to respect her decision, whatever it may be, and move on without regrets. Meanwhile at the house, to Amanda’s surprise, Evelyn advises her not to listen to anyone’s advice and to make her own decisions. If she is unhappy, she should take responsibility for her life. After Evelyn leaves, Amanda realizes she cannot bring herself to break up her family and end her marriage. Dawson tries to convince Amanda to stay by saying that they have the rest of their lives ahead of them, but Amanda tearfully bids Dawson goodbye. He is heartbroken but does not prevent her from leaving.
At home, Amanda tries to get over the memories of the weekend and mechanically starts doing chores. Deep in her heart, she knows she has made the wrong decision by leaving Dawson.
Chapters 11-15 Analysis
These chapters deal with the progress of Dawson’s and Amanda’s relationship. The couple’s attraction to each other reaches its highpoint when they arrive at the Vandemere cottage. Amanda opens up further and admits that Dawson was her only true love, and they become physically intimate. But Dawson’s hopes for a future together are dashed when a conflicted Amanda chooses her marriage over true love. Thus, the relationship fails to achieve the blissful, romantic future hinted at by Vandemere cottage and reverts to the realistic and emotionally complicated present.
The profound influence of true love is highlighted in several ways in this novel. Tuck’s tale of his romance with Clara emphasizes the metaphysical and spiritual dimensions of true love. Dawson and Amanda are awed by the vision of romance represented by the Vandemere cottage and the ability of lovers to remain connected even after death. In the romantically secluded cottage, Amanda and Dawson are unable to resist envisioning a future together. For Dawson, it signifies a huge step from his preoccupation with the past to hopes of a future in love. In the presence of her true love, Amanda is able to diagnose the underlying cause of the problems in her marriage—separation from her only love, Dawson, has rendered her unable to truly love anybody else, including the man she chose to marry. Though Amanda recognizes her love for Dawson, she is confronted by the exigencies of her family life and returns to her conflicted present as a woman with a family and a failing marriage. After reading Tuck’s letter, Dawson knows that he cannot—and should not—change Amanda’s decision, even if it means losing her.
Chapter 15 is a turning point in Amanda’s relationship with her mother. On being told by her mother to trust herself to make the right decision, Amanda is thrown off and unable to make sense of this unanticipated change in her mother’s character. Through this incident, Sparks sows the seeds for their reconciliation, which occurs in the final section of the novel.
The idea of the Stingray as a symbol of the relationship between Amanda and Dawson is further extended in the chapters. Driving the car to the romantic cottage in Vandemere becomes a symbol of Dawson and Amanda carefully moving towards a future of romance. Unlike the early characterization of Dawson as inhabiting the past, in these chapters, Dawson is takes the initiative to drive the relationship ahead. In Chapter 15, he makes desperate attempts to convince a confused Amanda to choose him. But the Stingray is already back in the garage, and Dawson resigns himself to living with Amanda’s memories. Vandemere cottage is characterized as an otherworldly place, where Dawson and Amanda may actualize their romance. With Tuck’s story about his experience during the war and his garden, the cottage is associated with dreams and the surreal. It exists in its own time and space, cut off from the rest of the world. In Vandemere and in the cottage, Amanda feels she is leaving reality behind and entering a dream, where only Dawson and Amanda exist. Hence, after a night at the cottage, the ring of the cellphone pulls Amanda back to the reality of her life, and she gets into the shower to “wash away” her experiences with Dawson and hurriedly cleans up the remnants of the romantic night.
The section ends on a note of romantic intimacy with the image of Amanda leading Dawson to the bedroom. However, later in the novel we learn that Amanda was unable to break her marriage vows, and she and Dawson did not engage in physical intimacy. Finally, the climactic event of Dawson’s heart donation is foreshadowed when Dawson presents Amanda with a four-leaf clover that resembles a human heart. The idea is cemented when Dawson goes on to comment on fate and destiny and recounts the times he nearly died but was miraculously saved.
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By Nicholas Sparks
