and a curiosity about the world before the epidemic. This leads Ish to believe that Joey is the key to the future. "Part II: The Year 22" Twenty-two years later, the community flourishes, with the younger generation adapting easily to the more traditional world. They come to have a better grasp of the natural world than the adults, and when running water fails, the younger generation comes to the rescue, knowing where flowing streams may be found. Ish turns his attention from ecology to his newly forming society, and he notices that the children are becoming very superstitious. One day Ish asks for his hammer which he habitually carries around, and finds the children are afraid to touch it as it is a symbol to them of the old times; the long-dead "Americans" of the old world are now viewed like gods, including Ish. The older boys return from a cross country trip with a stranger named Charlie, who exposes the tribe to typhoid fever which kills many, including Joey. Through his despair, Ish is forced to face the future with a different set of expectations and hopes. His ambition to restore civilization to its original state is replaced by a more modest, practical one to simply convey a few basic survival skills; such as making bows and arrows, which the children think are great playthings. As the years go by, the community begins to grow corn. Ish presides at meetings, his hammer being a symbol of his status. Though he is respected, many of his ideas are ignored by the younger men. "Part III: The Last American" Ish spends most of his elderly life in a fog, unaware of the world. Occasionally the fog in his mind lifts. During one such time, he finds himself aware of his great-grandson Jack, who stands before him. Jack tells him that the bow and arrow have become more reliable than the gun, whose cartridges do not always work. Jack also mentions that different colored arrowheads are suitable for hunting different game. Ish finds this belief superstitious, but decides it would be futile to challenge it. Ish realizes that the former civilization is now completely gone and will not be rebuilt anytime soon. He becomes reconciled to the way things have changed. When Ish is dying, the younger men insist that his hammer be passed on. Ish chooses Jack. Characters Isherwood Williams (Ish)