Chapter 20

Summary

• The chapter is set during Franklin D. Roosevelt's whistle-stop tour across America during his presidential political campaign. His wife, Eleanor, is joining him on the train while he delivers speeches defying claims that his disability makes him unfit for presidency.
• Throughout the chapter, Eleanor is depicted as filled with internal conflict and emotions. She is struggling with a letter to a friend named Mary, admitting to wishing she could undo their last encounter which had strained their relationship.
• Franklin prepares for a speech criticizing Hoover's failings. After their discussion about it, they continue working until an aid informs them about their arrival in Sioux City, Iowa, in 30 minutes. Eleanor helps Franklin with his leg braces for his appearance before supporters, disguising his disability.
• Eleanor gives an insight into their relationship, recalling when she fell in love with Franklin. Their relationship changed after Franklin’s affair with Lucy Mercer, but she still shares his political and social ideals. Despite this, Eleanor feels unfulfilled with her role as the supportive spouse and struggles with the sacrifices she's had to make.
• While considering if she could confide in Mary or her friend, reporter Lorena Hickok, about her feelings, she helps Franklin to the train corridor. They briefly interact with Steve Woodburn, a former journalist who had ensured that Roosevelt would only be photographed standing or in his vehicle, thereby hiding the evidence of his disability.
• Before their appearance before the Iowa crowd, Hickok asks Eleanor for a quick statement but is subtly rebuffed by Woodburn. Franklin's campaign song plays as the chapter ends, with Eleanor questioning if her husband really means to better the lives of everyone in America.