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Chapter 6: The Hastings Cafeteria
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
A month after Calvin suggests he and Elizabeth get a dog, one follows Elizabeth home from the grocery store. Elizabeth can tell the dog needs a home, so she decides to adopt him and give him the name “Six-Thirty” to align with the time she found him. Although Calvin and Elizabeth would have no way of knowing it, Six-Thirty was previously trained as a bomb-detection dog for the marines.
The addition of Six-Thirty to the lives of Elizabeth and Calvin introduces an element of serendipity to the narrative. Like Elizabeth and Calvin, Six -Thirty needed someone to adopt and take care of him. Calvin and Elizabeth plan to care for Six-Thirty in a way that their parents never cared for them.
Themes
In training camp, Six-Thirty had no problem detecting bombs, but rather than going toward them like he was supposed to, he would run away and hide. Annoyed, Six-Thirty’s trainer abandoned him near a highway. He was on his own for a while before finding Elizabeth and Calvin. Elizabeth and Calvin fall in love with Six-Thirty and take him everywhere, including to Hastings. Dogs are not supposed to be on the premises of Hastings, but no one complains because the dog belongs to Calvin. However, secretly, many people are annoyed.
Six-Thirty being welcomed at Hastings primarily because of Calvin's status once again touches on the theme of workplace dynamics and favoritism. Although Elizabeth and Calvin’s colleagues are often cruel and unreasonable, the origin of their behavior is that they cannot stand that Calvin gets to do whatever he wants. Once again, it seems that Calvin gets to break the rules simply because he is famous (and it also doesn’t hurt that he’s a man).
Themes
After work, Elizabeth spends her evenings cooking meals. To her, cooking is chemistry and therefore of interest and value—it’s not just some kind of “feminine duty.” She spends a lot of time making sure the meals she creates are nutritionally balanced and treats them like experiments more than anything else.
Elizabeth’s approach to cooking as chemistry is an assertion of her identity as a scientist, even in the domestic sphere. This perspective challenges the traditional notion of cooking as a "feminine duty" and instead frames it as an intellectual and creative pursuit.
Themes
One day, Calvin asks Elizabeth to come rowing with him. At first, Elizabeth balks at the idea and even suggests that rowing is for men, not women. However, Calvin quickly notes her hypocrisy and convinces her to come rowing with him. Before actually getting into a boat, Calvin has Elizabeth practice on a rowing machine (or “erg”), so she can get used to the motion. Although Elizabeth still has reservations about getting into rowing, Calvin tells other men at the rowing club that she is his new partner. They all look at him with astonishment, assuming that Elizabeth must be a talented rower. Their reactions suggest to Elizabeth that Calvin must be an excellent rower in addition to being an amazing scientist.
Elizabeth's initial hesitation towards rowing and her assertion that it is for men challenges her own principles against gender stereotypes, reflecting an internal conflict where her progressive views clash with ingrained social norms. Calvin's playful accusation of hypocrisy serves as a challenge to Elizabeth, prompting her to reconsider her stance and join him in an activity that is traditionally seen as masculine. Rowing brings out a new side of Calvin, who otherwise seems bookish and socially awkward.
Themes
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