Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry Chapter 7 Overview (Not vocab definitions)

She wanted to roll up the sleeves.

Stacey gave the coat to T.J.

Because T.J. said it made him look like a preacher and was too big for him. T.J. said it would fit him just fine and would take it off his hands until he grows big enough to fit it and so all the guys won't laugh at him and call him a preacher.

Uncle Hammer thinks that if Stacey isn't smart enough to hold on to a good coat, then he doesn't deserve it. He thinks that T.J. can keep it permanently because he knows a good thing when he sees it.

He said, "if he doesn't have the brains of a flea to see that T.J. made a fool of him then he will never get anywhere in life. It's tough out there in the world, as long as there are people, there's gonna be somebody trying to take whatever you have and try dragging you down. It's up to you to decide whether or not to let them do this. It looks like you what that coat back that I gave you, isn't that right!"

He said," If you want something and it's a good thing and you got it the right way, you better hang on to it and never let anyone try to talk you out of the thing and steal it. You care what useless people say that you'll get nowhere with the thing cause those people don't want you to make it. Do you hear me!"

Cassie slept every night hoping that Papa would come in the morning. When he wasn't there, she trudged herself to school telling herself that he would be home when she came back home. But as the days passed, cold and windy, he didn't come.

She wants to tell him about the strawberry experience. She knows that he wouldn't just tear out of the house after Mr. Simms like Uncle Hammer, but take time to think about any move he would make and would tell her how to handle Lillian Jean.

Although it wasn't Cassie's problem, T.J. was flaunting Stacey's wool coat during this. Cassie decided to deflate him the same time she would take care of Lillian Jean. However, ever since Mr. Avery took T.J. to the house to return the coat to Stacey and told by Uncle Hammer and a faltering Stacey that the coat was his, T.J. praised the coat as no one had a finer coat, no one had ever looked better with a coat, and no one could ever hope to have such a coat again.

Cassie heard soft murmuring of quiet voices at midnight. She knew Big Ma wasn't besides her for a reason. She then jumped from the bed and landed on the deer-skinned rug and rushed to Mama's room. She saw papa and she jumped into his arms.

Uncle Hammer and Papa stole the watermelons from old man Ellis. Papa said that the watermelons naturally tasted better than anything else so they took a couple watermelons and put them down on the pond to chill them down. Then they ate some of the watermelon. Little man screamed that Papa was stealing. Papa said, "Not exactly." As they exchanged one of their melons with his. He knew it was wrong, but at the time, it felt alright. His watermelons were green fat and round compared to their long and striped watermelon. Ellis chased them down with a hickory stick.

His sisters got killed in a fire, but his Mama got him out. She tried to get back to the house to save his sisters, but she couldn't. The night men surrounded her and she threw him away from the night men and fought the night men with his Papa. Mr. Morrison says that they are as strong as bulls. They fought that Christmas for their child as they loved him and each other. People say that he can't remember what happened that night, but he remembered everything that happened, he makes himself remember. His parents then died that night.

All eight of the Avery children came, even the pre-schoolers, only the older girls helped Mama, Big Ma, and Mrs. Avery prepare the meal.

The meal lasted over 2 hours through firsts, seconds, and thirds. The room was filled with talking, laughter, and finally dessert. When they finished, the boys and Cassie, with Claude and T.J. went outside, but a half inch layer of snow made the land sloppy so they went inside and joined the parents near the fire. Shortly after, there was a timid knock on the door. Stacey opened the door to see Jeremy who looked frozen and frightened when he went into the room. Everyone looked at him oddly.

Papa said that Stacey and Jeremy might get along fine for now, but in a few years, he'll turn on him in a minute. Uncle Hammer said that White people are trouble, maybe some day white and black people can get along, but for now, the country isn't built like that. Maybe jeremy is a better friend than T.J. but it would cost too much to find out.

Yes, The Children hoped that Mama didn't tell Papa about their trip to the Wallace Store, but if she did, they hoped that he would forget about what he had promised. Then they found out the hard way that Mama always told Papa everything and Papa never forgot anything.

Mama said that they got some business to do. Cassie then saw Uncle Hammer signing papers. Cassie also heard Mr. Jamison say something about selling land as he said they need to sign the papers and Mrs. Caroline doesn't have any legal rights to the land. Can't sell it or sign on it and it will be in their names and can take both of them to do anything with it. By them, Cassie thinks it means Papa and Uncle Hammer. Mr. Jamison then put papers into his briefcase.

He was a long, thin man in his mid-fifties with a lawyer face, so placid it was difficult to see thoughts he was thinking of.

Mr. Jamison says that in the end, they can't beat harlan or the Wallaces.

He said that they better be good.