Dread Nation

Jane and Katherine return to Katherine’s home on the rich side of town, which is luxurious and beautiful. However, it becomes clear that Katherine is miserable. She begins to cry and asks Jane “Do you know what it’s like to have every man in his miserable town panting after you like a rabid dog?” (361). She goes on to say that she hates pretending to be white and trying to fit in with those who hate people like her. Katherine laments that people only see a pretty face when they look at her, and how “no one would take [her] on as an Attendant” (361) because she was too beautiful. She fears that her only future is to get married, and she confesses that she doesn’t want to get married: she doesn’t “feel that way about anyone” (363). Jane is stunned and reminds Katherine that she has more power than she thinks, because “the only thing more lethal than a bullet [is] a woman with a pretty face” (364-365). Jane reveals that she is planning to kill the sheriff, but Katherine is horrified at the thought of murdering someone. They are interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Gideon, who asks Jane and Katherine to meet him for lunch tomorrow.