The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

The narrative gives the reader access to Ptolemy’s interior life both when his memory is failing and when he regains control of his mental faculties. Initially, Ptolemy lives in the past. In this respect, he is much like his hero, Coydog, who says:

I hear everybody I evah knew talkin’ ’bout things nobody know no more. I hear preachers an’ judges, white men and black. I hear ’em talkin’ ’bout tomorrow when I know that was a long time ago […] My world is made outta ash and memories, broken bones and pain (166).

Ironically, Ptolemy can’t remember the name of his current caregiver, but can recall events from eight decades earlier with perfect clarity. This is unfortunate because so many of Ptolemy’s childhood memories are tragic. He is tormented by the vision of terrible events that he didn’t have the power to change as a helpless six-year-old. He witnessed the death of his best friend in a fire and the lynching of his mentor. These memories persist in his consciousness to such a degree that the reader wonders if Ptolemy’s memory loss might not be an unconscious attempt to repress past horrors.

At the beginning of the novel, Ptolemy is as defenseless as a child and relies on Robyn to help him navigate a world that has grown increasingly alien to him. In exploring Ptolemy’s experience, Mosley offers an understated critique about society’s lack of concern for the elderly: They are cast adrift, preyed upon by greedy neighbors and family. Luckily, Robyn protects Ptolemy from the worst of the predators surrounding him:

Ptolemy didn’t mind the doctor explaining to the child. She was his eyes and ears in a world just out of reach. She deciphered what things meant and then told him like a busboy in a restaurant that runs down to the waiter and then comes back with information for the cook (126).

Once Ptolemy’s memory is restored, he reasons clearly and has a fresh perspective on the state of the world. He’s a modern-day Rip Van Winkle who beholds a society that has changed while he was mentally dormant:

He could see that the world outside his door had become more dangerous than it was when he was a younger man. Poor people had always fought and killed each other, but it wasn’t so fast and unpredictable. People shot out like rattlesnakes on these modern streets. There was no warning anymore (186).

Ptolemy offers his perspective on changes in race relations during the time that he was asleep. He has a conversation with his Hispanic limo driver on the subject:

‘Remembah back in the old days when we all lived together?’ Ptolemy asked. ‘Mexicans, Negroes, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese on the one side—' ‘And white people on the other,’ Hernandez said, finishing the litany. Both men laughed. ‘What happened to us?’ Ptolemy asked. ‘White man shined a light on us and we froze like deer in the road. After that we all went crazy and started tearin’ each other apart’ (249).

Although Ptolemy’s candle burns briefly, it sheds enough light for him to set his life to rights. He can forget his past and embrace an unknown future beyond death because he made good use of his do-over.