Moon Over Manifest

Early on, Sister Redempta asks Abilene to look up its meaning in a dictionary. Abilene finds definitions for the noun and the verb: “Manifest—noun. A list of passengers on a ship” (237). The verb’s definition is “[t]o reveal, to make known” (237). The definition of the noun compares the citizens of Manifest to passengers on a ship. They are a committee thrown together by circumstances, and, as on a ship undertaking a passage, the townspeople will experience the same fate as the town. The verb version is ironic, as it symbolizes Manifest’s propensity for secrecy, not for revelation.

Miss Sadie has an infected leg for most of the novel. After the second time Abilene loses her compass, Miss Sadie picks it up. She scratches herself, leading to the festering wound. Miss Sadie retrieves the compass because she knows its history—she gave it to her son, Ned. Miss Sadie cherishes her memories of Ned, but they are also painful, given that she could only observe him in Manifest and then he died in the war. The afflicted leg is the physical equivalent of her emotional torment.

Near the novel’s conclusion, Miss Sadie lets Abilene drain and clean the wound. This symbolizes her healing, just as the original damage represented her painful internal state. Miss Sadie isn’t able to permit Abilene to clean the wound until she finishes the story: “It was as if the story was the only balm that provided any comfort” (154).