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Chapter 8: Overreaching
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
Although Calvin is not one to hold grudges, there is one person whom Calvin does hold a grudge against and whom he has not told Elizabeth about. When Calvin was 10 and living in the Catholic boys home, a well-dressed man visited and gave the home a lot of money. The bishop who ran the home used the money to buy educational materials relating to science and mathematics at the behest of the man who donated the money.
Here, the secrets Calvin chose not to divulge to Elizabeth in Chapter 5 begin to come to the forefront of the narrative. This moment marks the beginning of one of the novel’s most notable themes: the conflict between science and religion, a topic Elizabeth and Calvin feels particularly animated about because of how religious figures—or people claiming to be religious figures—negatively impacted their childhoods.
Themes
When Calvin asked the bishop about the educational materials, the bishop told him that the donor was Calvin’s father, who demanded that the home be stocked with items relating to math and science. Calvin does not understand what the bishop is saying because he thought his father was dead. The bishop tells him that the parents he knew—the ones who died in an accident—are actually his adoptive parents.
The bishop's decision to use the money for educational materials in math and science could be seen as a catalyst for Calvin's later success in those fields, but it also brings to light the painful truth about his family. The mixture of philanthropy and personal rejection creates a conflict within Calvin, driving his passion for science while also leaving him with a sense of abandonment.
Themes
When Calvin questions him further, the bishop shows him his birth certificate, which has his real mother’s name on it. According to the bishop, Calvin’s real mother died while giving birth to him. Additionally, the bishop says that Calvin’s father does not want to adopt him and plans to continue making donations to the boys home instead. At first, Calvin held out hope that his father would return to him. However, the longer he stayed in the boys home, the more he began to hate his father.
Calvin's initial hope that his father would return, followed by growing resentment, captures the emotional turmoil that accompanies abandonment and the longing for familial connections. His decision to keep this grudge secret from Elizabeth suggests that he has not fully processed what happened to him at the boys home.
Themes
