The Tiger Rising

When Rob and Sistine return to the Kentucky Star, Sistine is silent and subdued. Rob walks Sistine to the laundry room to call her mother. They meet Willie May in the parking lot. Rob introduces Sistine, who is antagonistic toward Willie May, and speaks to her with a “hard and mean” voice (82). Willie May tells Sistine that she is full of anger, like Willie May herself. Sistine hotly denies being angry and Willie May calls her an “angry liar” (82). Rob watches this exchange anxiously because he wants his only two friends to get along. When Sistine accepts a stick of gum from Willie May, Rob is relieved. Willie May thinks it is funny that God made the two of them friends: Rob who is “full of sorrow,” and Sistine, who is “full of anger” (83). Willie May advises Sistine that no one is going to come rescue her. Sistine says she believes Willie May is a prophetess, and Rob thinks that’s probably true.

In their motel room, Rob’s father discovers the raw meat Rob was going to use to feed the tiger. Rob explains it came from