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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anxious People, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Parenting and Fear
Marriage, Conflict, and Communication
Mental Health and Connection
The Modern World
Assumptions
Summary
Analysis
Jack begins his interview with a young woman named London by suggesting she sit in a chair, not on the floor. London snaps that her phone charger won’t reach that far and complains about the awful reception at the station. She continues to insult Jack, but he finally asks if she’s who was working at the bank when the bank robber came in. As she answers Jack’s questions with, “Correct,” she explains that she’s miming “perverted commas” so that if this transcript ends up on the internet, everyone will think she’s ironic instead of dumb. With prodding, London says she’s a temp employee at the bank (which is cashless), but she’s studying to be a bartender.
Though Jack and London don’t seem to be too far apart in age, they’re still having a very hard time connecting. For her part, London isn’t taking the interview seriously. This raises the question of whether London is one of the witnesses who the narrator has said isn’t telling the truth, and if her belligerence is therefore calculated. London’s attachment to her phone highlights her youth, as well as the fact that it may be her smartphone that’s keeping her from connecting with Jack.
Themes
