Philoctete Timeline and Summary

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• The opening of the poem shows Philoctete telling a group of tourists a dramatic tale about cutting trees to make canoes. He also shows them his shin-wound for extra money.
• His rotting wound makes him a bit of an outcast; Philoctete can no longer fish with the rest of the guys.
• Instead, he goes to Ma Kilman's shop to get "medicinals" for his leg.
• He feels that his wound is not just the result of a run-in with a rusty anchor; it's also the reminder of the chains worn by his ancestors.
• Philo takes out his frustration on the yams in his garden.
• But after slaughtering the yams, he decides to suffer with patience.
• Philoctete attempts to reconcile his two friends, Hector and Achille, but fails.
• When Achille can no longer make a living from the sea, Philoctete helps him find a job at Plunkett's pig farm.
• Philoctete himself is hired by Statics to help with his political campaign.
• On the campaign trail, Philoctete wonders why the people of St. Lucia can't all just love the island the way he does.
• He and Statics prepare a "blocko" as part of the campaign, but it gets rained out.
• After Achille goes missing at sea, Philoctete visits Seven Seas to pass on the rumors about his friend's fate; Seven Seas tells him that all will be well.
• Philoctete hears the conch-shell call that alerts the village to Achille's return. He asks God to forgive his doubt.
• He comforts Achille as he kneels at Hector's grave.
• Ma bathes Philoctete in the new concoction and he feels the sore drain and close. He experiences a spiritual healing as well.
• Philoctete attends Maud Plunkett's funeral with Achille and Helen.
• At the end of the year, he celebrates Christmas with Seven Seas at Ma Kilman's house.
• On Boxing Day, Philoctete dons "banana trash" and a calabash mask to perform a ritual African dance with Achille for the village.
• The dance re-awakens the pain inside him for the suffering of his ancestors, and after the dance, he weeps.
• The narrator spots Philoctete taking a New Year's Day wash in the sea.
• Philoctete accompanies Achille on the quest to find new fishing grounds, and they are saved by a whale when they come too close to a coral reef.
• Ma Kilman tells us that Philoctete will be godfather to Helen's baby.