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Chapter 11: Loveday, 1942
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in After Darkness, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Dangers of Nationalism
Isolation and Trauma
Kindness, Compassion, and Selflessness
Racism, Xenophobia, and Division
Guilt and Atonement
Summary
Analysis
When the weather in Broome becomes more humid and rainier towards the end of the year, many of its inhabitants leave for elsewhere. From the Japanese Association, only Harada stays to watch over the building. Dr. Ibaraki has learned that Harada, who hasn’t been back to Japan in many years, is in a long-term relationship with an Aboriginal woman named Minnie. Ibaraki plans to go to Melbourne and Sydney, and he will be closing the hospital for eight weeks. Sister Bernice plans to travel to her relatives in Geraldton for Christmas.
The fact that Harada is in a long-term relationship with Minnie despite social conventions demonstrates his capacity to prioritize love over outside perceptions of his life. Later on, when Ibaraki reflects on his own relationships, he sees Harada as a role model for bravery in prioritizing his emotional life over social perception.
Themes
As Dr. Ibaraki and Sister Bernice pack up the hospital, she gives him a wrapped Christmas present. It is the book Middlemarch. She tells him that the young doctor character in the book made her think of him. Ibaraki deeply appreciates the present. Sister Bernice also returns his copy of Robinson Crusoe. She asks him about the piece of wood that she found in the book, engraved with the Japanese word for “child” and the numbers 1718. Ibaraki gets upset and asks her not to intrude in his life. Sister Bernice leaves the room. The next morning, Sister Bernice does not come to work. At first Dr. Ibaraki is angry, but then he is worried. He later learns that she left for Geraldton that morning, earlier than she was supposed to, due to an emergency.
Sister Bernice’s gift for Ibaraki demonstrates their closeness. Her thoughtfulness in choosing the book shows her fondness for Ibaraki. However, when she asks a question in attempt to get closer to him, his reaction shows that his past is preventing him from having healthy and close relationships. When Sister Bernice does not come to work, Ibaraki sees the real consequences of pushing those who are willing to love him away. Her unknown emergency also mirrors his secrecy within their relationship, giving him a taste of the mystery she has experienced with him.
Themes
While Dr. Ibaraki travels to and around Melbourne, he continues to worry that his actions drove Sister Bernice away. His hosts—who are family friends—notice this worry. Instead of moving on to Sydney, Ibaraki decides to return to Broome two weeks earlier, reflecting that it has become his home. He learns that Sister Bernice has already returned from Geraldton. He goes to visit her, bearing a gift from his travel: a teacup and saucer. She thanks him and he asks after her family. She tells him that she left early because one of the children was sick, but the child is fine now. He tries to apologize for the way he spoke to her when they parted, but she assures him that it’s in the past. However, from that point on, Ibaraki feels a shift in their relationship. Though they still talk and work together, she begins to share less of herself with him.
Ibaraki’s decision to return to Broome because it feels like home shows the effect that interpersonal relationships can have on cementing one’s feeling of belonging. Though he apologizes to Sister Bernice over his behavior, the feeling that their relationship is not the same highlights the fact that healthy relationships require an equal level of trust. Furthermore, it shows that repairing relationships takes work and that Ibaraki will need to work on both himself and his rapport with Sister Bernice if he wants to have the kind of relationship they had before.
Themes
