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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marginalization and Belonging
Time, Memory, and Transition
Gender and Power
Tradition and Change
Religion, Political Conflict, and Identity
Summary
Analysis
In her final seconds, Leila remembers the homemade strawberry cake from her last birthday. Unlike her family, who never celebrated birthdays, Leila’s five friends always make her day special. For her final celebration, they prepare a rich, decadent meal—complete with the strawberry cake—and end the evening watching black-and-white films. Leila reflects on how deeply she values her friends, thinking of them as her supportive “safety net.” She feels incredibly fortunate to have five close confidants, knowing that most are lucky to have even one. As they watch Rita Hayworth on TV, Leila believes they are all uniquely skilled, in their own ways, at discerning a happy woman from a sad one.
Rather than recalling her murder, the final memory that Leila’s post-death consciousness focuses on is of her closest friends, highlighting the importance of the emotional connections she has built. Each of the five recognizes that Rita Hayworth—famous actress and sex symbol, and a recurring figure throughout Leila’s life—was a master at hiding her pain behind a mask of joy. Though they’re all familiar with pretending, they don’t need to wear masks around one another. Even in her death, Leila’s friends liberate her from painful memories, filling her final eight seconds with love and belonging.
Themes
