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Snow (VI), 11 Feb 1910
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Life After Life, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Life, Reincarnation, and Alternate Possibilities
Fate vs. Choice
Family and Love
War and Death
Gender Roles and Expectations
Summary
Analysis
Ursula (pretending to be Sylvie) writes a note to Bridget telling her that a gang of robbers is in the village, and that she has locked and bolted the doors, and asking her to stay with Mrs. Dodds for the night after she returns from London. She pins the note to the back door and heads to bed.
Instead of continuing her attempts to avoid Bridget (and death) when she returns to the house, Ursula tries instead to preempt Bridget’s return in the hope that she (and Teddy) can evade the illness.
Themes
The next morning, Sylvie asks Ursula about the note, but Ursula denies having written it. Sylvie tells her that Pamela has gone to fetch Bridget back from Mrs. Dodds’s house. Ursula runs out in a panic until she comes along Pamela and Bridget on the road. Ursula throws her arms around Pamela, telling her she was so worried about her. They return to the house. Darkness soon falls again.
Despite Ursula’s attempts, and her panic, Bridget’s return continues to be difficult to prevent, arguing that sometimes, fate can be very difficult to avoid—or certain fates can only be avoided in a specific way.
Themes
