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Chapter 43: Stillborn
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
Elizabeth reacts with shock and suspicion to Avery’s revelation, questioning why Avery didn’t come forward earlier. Avery explains that she had sent Wilson, her lawyer and the head of her foundation, to find Calvin. However, the bishop misled Wilson, claiming that Calvin was deceased. In response, Avery decided to support the home financially, dedicating funds to science and sports programs in honor of Calvin’s father, who was a rower. Avery eventually learned the truth about Calvin being alive when she saw him on the cover of Chemistry Today, leading her to abruptly halt the funding and start writing to Calvin. Elizabeth recalls that the letters she saw from someone claiming to be Calvin’s mother were indeed from Avery Parker.
Here, all the narrative threads of the novel begin to connect. Avery was kept away from her son due to a mix of bad luck and back people. Although she always wanted to reunite with Calvin, she also knew that it was best to keep an appropriate distance and not force herself on him. As Avery is telling her story, Elizabeth knows she is telling the truth because of the letters she has seen with her own eyes. The more Avery talks, the less skeptical Elizabeth becomes, as she starts to realize that Avery is a good and truthful person.
Themes
Avery had been careful about reconnecting with Calvin. Wilson was sent to fund Elizabeth’s research at Hastings after Avery discovered Elizabeth and Calvin’s relationship. Initially, Donatti tried to divert Wilson and later falsely claimed Elizabeth was a man to dissuade him. Before Avery or Wilson could reach out to Calvin directly, he died, and Elizabeth's research stalled. Avery and Wilson even attended Calvin's funeral and thought they might meet Elizabeth there. Then, subsequently, the article misrepresenting Elizabeth’s feelings for Calvin came out, quoting her as saying she barely knew him.
This moment sheds light on the actions and motivations of Donatti, who obstructs the truth and Elizabeth's professional progress. Additionally, the article misrepresenting Elizabeth’s feelings for Calvin adds to the tragedy of the situation, as it not only distorted Elizabeth’s true sentiments but also further complicated the potential for Avery to make contact with Elizabeth.
Themes
Hearing this, Elizabeth is overwhelmed with emotion. She affirms her deep love for Calvin, whom she considers the best thing in her life. In a moment of profound happiness and sadness, Elizabeth lays her head on Avery’s shoulder and cries like never before, mourning the loss of Calvin and the years of misunderstandings and missed connections.
In a cathartic moment of shared grief and happiness, Elizabeth’s emotional breakdown on Avery's shoulder is a powerful release of the accumulated sorrow, love, and the weight of what might have been.
Themes
