T. S. Garp and Cushie Percy's old feelings

T. S. Garp and Cushie Percy’s youthful passion remains an emotionally charged memory for Garp even after their relationship has ended. Cushie’s death in childbirth confronts him with the unexpected loss of someone he remembers as intensely alive; his attempt to express sympathy then becomes a painful misunderstanding, as Stewart Percy believes he is making fun of Bonkers’s death.

A Past Passion That Remains Present

Garp occasionally joked with Helen about his former passion for Cushie, and Helen teased him about it. The joking suggests a past that could be acknowledged within his marriage, but it does not mean the attachment had become emotionally insignificant. When Jenny mentions that Cushie died in childbirth, Garp is nearly overwhelmed. He had not known of her death, and her remembered vitality makes the news seem especially difficult to reconcile with the woman he once knew.

The news also unsettles Garp because he imagines Cushie as someone whose liveliness made her death feel improbable. He compares his reaction with how he might have responded to an accident involving Alice Fletcher: Alice’s vulnerability had made him more prepared for catastrophe, while Cushie’s remembered energy had not. The contrast reveals how strongly his response is shaped by the people he believes death should—and should not—reach.

The Midnight Call

After hearing the news, Garp wanders into the kitchen and discovers that he has dialed the Percys’ number. He does not notice the late hour or remember when he opened another beer. As the phone rings, he imagines Stewart waking to answer it, still not understanding that Cushie’s death occurred months earlier.

When Stewart answers, Garp identifies himself and offers condolences, saying he had just heard and had been fond of Cushie. Stewart responds with abuse and hangs up. Garp is unprepared for the force of Stewart’s loathing, but the call’s meaning is not what either man assumes: Garp thinks he is acknowledging Cushie’s death, while Stewart believes Garp is cruelly pretending to sympathize over Bonkers, who had died that very night and whom Garp had always hated.

Misunderstanding and Its Afterlife

The delay in Garp learning of Cushie’s death turns his attempt at sympathy into a collision between two different losses. Stewart’s anger is directed at what he takes to be a joke about the dog, not at Garp’s words of condolence for Cushie. Garp, for his part, cannot yet understand why Stewart reacts with such hostility. Only years later does Pooh Percy explain the circumstances of the call to Jenny, clarifying the misunderstanding for the family.

The episode gives Garp and Cushie’s former attachment a belated consequence: although the relationship is over, news of her death prompts an impulsive call that renews conflict with the Percy family. Its irony rests on the gap between Garp’s genuine grief and Stewart’s interpretation of the call. The scene also connects a private romantic memory to the novel’s recurring fear of sudden loss, showing how news of death can arrive late and how easily an attempt at care can be mistaken for an injury.