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Chapter 17: Harriet Sloane
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Lessons in Chemistry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gender Inequality
Science vs. Religion
Overcoming Tragedy and Trauma
Family
Summary
Analysis
Harriet had been closely observing Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship from the start, albeit from the discrete distance of her window. At first, she was unsure that they would work together, as their relationship seemed unconventional. However, she quickly discovered they were a perfect match. In contrast, Harriet's own marriage is unhappy, with her husband, Mr. Sloane, being dull, ignorant, and vulgar.
Harriet spends a lot of time looking out her window because she does not like what she has at home. In Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship, she spotted something better than she has with her own husband. She wants to get away from her husband, but divorce is considered socially unacceptable (and it also had more legal restrictions at the time), and she has nowhere to go.
Themes
Elizabeth is still trying to cope with the demands of caring for Madeline. During this stressful time, she reflects on how Madeline got her name. In a moment of post-delivery exhaustion, Elizabeth misunderstood a nurse’s question about the baby's name as a query about her own state of mind. Rather than give her child a name, she replied "Mad." Consequently, "Mad" was recorded on the birth certificate. However, the name "Madeline" comes to Elizabeth when Six-Thirty brings her a copy of Remembrance of Things Past, which mentions a madeleine cookie. Elizabeth likes the name but finds she can't officially change it due to bureaucratic hurdles requiring various documents, including a marriage certificate.
Madeline’s legal name demonstrates the lack of care and attention that Elizabeth receives following one of the most physical demanding and traumatic events of her life. The nurse who records Madeline’s name as “Mad” is both emotionally and intellectually disengaged from the person she is supposed to be caring for. However, Elizabeth manages to find beauty in the name through its association to Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, which features a famous scene where the narrator eats a madeleine cookie that mentally transports him back to his childhood.
Themes
After her initial meeting with Harriet, Elizabeth repeatedly considers calling her for help. It takes her four days to finally make the call. Harriet, who has been eagerly anticipating Elizabeth’s call and monitoring her with binoculars, responds immediately and hurries over to help.
Elizabeth knows she needs help, but she is too stubborn to ask, especially from a woman who she barely knows. However, little does she know that Harriet is eager for any excuse to get away from her husband and is glad to come to Elizabeth’s aid.
Themes
