40 pages • 1 hour read
William LandayDefending Jacob
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “179 Days”
With 179 days until the trial, “[a] dull, constant anxiety [sets] in” (154), and each of the Barbers copes in their own way. Laurie makes a family dinner every night to maintain a sense of normalcy for herself, and this annoys Jacob. As they engage in an argument, Laurie receives an abusive phone call and leaves the table.
Chapter 14 Summary: “Questioning”
Jonathan tries to prepare Jacob for his trial with mock questioning. He asks Jacob about the knife, as well as the details of the scene: Were the leaves dry or wet? Did he stand or kneel? How did he feel when he found Ben? Why didn’t he call 911? Jacob struggles to answer the questions. Andy realizes that Jacob cannot go on the witness stand; they will need to come up with another narrative to give the jury. Jonathan tells him they have no choice but to use the cards they were dealt.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Playing Detective”
Andy finds and questions Sarah. He comments on her body (to the reader): “she was not thin enough for the tight T-shirt she wore” (168). She tells him it makes sense he thinks Jacob is innocent—he’s his father. She also tells him that Ben bullied Jacob, calling him gay and a loser. She directs him to Derek. Andy goes to the Yoo residence, where Derek answers the door. However, Derek’s father, David, asks Andy to leave.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Witness”
Andy finds Matthew Magrath, the boy whom Patz supposedly assaulted. He soon learns that Matthew filed a false report because he was angry. Patz paid Matthew to let him touch Matthew over the shorts; however, Patz ended their arrangement when Patz developed an interest in Ben. Matthew then filed the report as revenge. However, Patz had a knife, and Matthew assumes that he used it to kill Ben when his advance was rejected. Andy laments the unreliability of this potential witness.
Chapters 13-16 Analysis
As the trial approaches, Andy’s own rule-breaking behavior escalates. Andy states that he is not violent and has no reason to believe his son is; however, Andy uses physical force to get Matthew to tell his story. In addition, Andy goes outside the bounds of acceptable behavior in questioning teenagers in the community, especially Derek, who he knows is Logiudice’s witness. These chapters raise questions: does Andy truly have a violent nature? If so, is it a product of nature or nurture? He himself calls violence a “potential,” and he seems to feel his own potential even if he does not act on it.
Andy’s reliability as a narrator continues as questionable. When he relates Matthew’s story, the reader is asked to accept it without questioning. Even though Matthew is not a good witness, his confession gives Patz means, motives, and opportunity to kill Ben. However, Logiudice is still not convinced of Patz’s guilt, as evidenced in the grand jury trial.
