Post 5

In the chapter, multiple crimes are mentioned. A teenager was strangled and had his head bashed in. A murder of another teenager in a similar fashion also occurred New Years day. Four men had also been killed in a similar way. The chapter also mentions Winnie Ruth Judd and her murders, whom the people suspected was behind the recent murders, as well Sam Sheppard murdering his wife. Emmett Till's murder, is mentioned as well.
The crimes that really happened were Winnie Ruth Judd's murders, Emmett Till's murder, and Sam Sheppard murdering his wife. The deaths of the teenagers and the four men were fiction.
The impact of interweaving the fiction of the novel with real events is that it grounds it and makes it feel more realistic, as if the events of the novel actually happened. This helps immerse the reader and make them emotionally connect with what is happening in the novel. An example of this is shown in the quote "In the poolrooms and in Tommy's Barbershop, the word was that Winnie Ruth Judd had struck again. The men laughed about it and repeated for the benefit of newcomers the story of how, in 1932, Winnie Ruth Judd had struck again" (Morrison 99). This blends real events with fiction, and makes the story feel more historical. Another example is demonstrated in the quote "The police said there had been a witness who thought he saw a "bushy-haired Negro" running from the schoolyard where the body was found. "The same bushy-haired Negro they saw when Sam Sheppard axed his wife" (Morrison 100). Once again, this quote ties together real events and incorporates them into the plot, making it more realistic.