Linked

Watching soccer practice frustrates Link, who reflects on the pointlessness of the pranks he has pulled. He resents his father for pulling him from sports but acknowledges it may be for the best that he is not playing, especially since he has his bar mitzvah and the paper chain to work on.

When Pouncey and his friends tease Link about wanting to be Jewish, he reminds them of their Holocaust unit, noting, “[T]hat could have been me” (71). He explains this is why he wants, and needs, to learn about Jewish heritage. Pamela says they will support him, but the expression on her face makes Lincoln question whether his friends really are behind him.

Fourteen swastikas have now appeared on school grounds. Michael reflects that they need the paper chain project but worries that he will be blamed if it fails. If he were Link, he too would want “to connect to the heritage [he] never knew [he] had” (73). The police continue to suspect Michael. He wonders who the real culprit is while simultaneously not wanting to blame someone who is innocent, as the sheriff is doing to Michael himself.