Independence Day

In this year’s Independence Day plans, a holiday fireworks display gives Monica Breedlove a reason to hold her customary country-club supper on the Fourth of July. The date also brings Christine Penmark’s absence and an unexpected question of who will look after Rhoda into view, making the occasion a revealing domestic interlude rather than simply a party on the calendar.

Annual Departure and Holiday Supper

Each year, on July 10, Monica Breedlove and her brother, Emory Wages, closed their town apartment and went to the Seagull Inn for the remainder of July and the whole month of August. Before leaving, Monica usually gave a large buffet supper at the country club, a farewell gathering intended to console her friends for the long absence. In the year described, she moved the supper to Independence Day because an elaborate fireworks display was scheduled at the club and she wanted her guests to enjoy it.

The preparations had been underway since the middle of June. Monica and Christine had discussed the drinks and the dishes to order from the caterers at length. The change of date therefore connected the usual pre-departure social ritual to a particular holiday attraction, while placing the party six days before Monica and Emory’s customary departure.

Christine’s Absence and Rhoda’s Care

On the morning of the Fourth, Christine telephoned to say that she could not attend because she was unwell. Rhoda’s care presented a separate difficulty: Jessie Forsythe had looked after her before, but Monica felt she could not ask Jessie to do so again. A regular babysitter was another possibility, yet Christine did not want to use one, for reasons she chose not to explain at that moment.

Monica dismissed the suggestion that a babysitter was needed for Rhoda. She regarded the child as poised and mature, and reassured Christine that Jessie Forsythe would be glad to have her company. Monica recalled that Jessie had recently said she enjoyed talking with Rhoda more than with anyone she knew. She contrasted that warmth with Jessie’s grandchildren, who could not abide their grandmother and made fun of her to her face; in Monica’s view, Rhoda’s tact and consideration made her an especially welcome companion to an older woman. Christine answered cautiously, allowing that Monica might be right.

Significance in the Narrative

The Independence Day plans set Monica’s confident, affectionate view of Rhoda beside Christine’s reluctance to entrust her to a regular sitter. The exchange also shows how Rhoda’s composed manner encourages adults to treat her as unusually mature: Monica imagines Jessie’s pleasure in her company, while Christine’s brief, hesitant agreement leaves her own reservations unresolved. The evidence records the arrangements and the conversation, not whether the supper ultimately took place or who cared for Rhoda that evening.