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Symbols
Traditionally the moon often symbolizes a natural rhythm or cycle, but the moon in Life As We Knew It has been knocked off course by a dense asteroid. The moon in this novel, then, represents the opposite: uncertainty and discord. When the moon is moved closer to Earth, the change in its gravitational pull causes tsunamis and earthquakes. It also causes volcanoes to erupt—not just active volcanoes, but ones that had been long dormant and new ones that had hadn’t existed prior to the moon incident. The moon is thus the source of all of the unnatural disasters and hardships that are affecting the characters’ lives, and even the moon’s appearance—closer to the earth and at an odd angle—is frightening and unfamiliar, a reminder of everything that has gone wrong.
The Moon Quotes in Life as We Knew It
The Life as We Knew It quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Moon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
They said asteroids hit the moon pretty often, which is how the moon gets its craters, but this one is going to be the biggest asteroid ever to hit it and on a clear night you should be able to see the impact when it happens... They made it sound pretty dramatic, but I still don’t think it’s worth three homework assignments.
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Chapter 3
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Somehow I’d forgotten there were other countries, that we shared the moon with other countries.
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Chapter 4
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I know it’s dumb of me, but I keep thinking that once Matt gets home, everything will be okay. Like he’ll push the moon back into place.
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Get the entire Life as We Knew It LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Moon Symbol Timeline in Life as We Knew It
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Moon appears in Life as We Knew It. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...astronomers have determined an asteroid large enough to be visible is going to hit the moon next week. Laura has heard this, but Miranda hasn’t. Later she brushes it off with...
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May 15-16. Excitement about the moon builds... at least among the teachers at Miranda’s school, who all assign projects based on...
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...math test and her tendency to be careless in general. Miranda is working on her moon assignments in her bedroom when older brother, Matt, calls from college, surprising her because he...
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Chapter 2
May 18. In the aftermath of the asteroid’s impact with the moon, Miranda struggles to organize her thoughts to write in her journal. She compares this to...
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...her timeline to describe the day from the beginning—including a glimpse of a typical half moon in the sunrise sky and her anticipation about the night. She emphasizes how normal the...
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...dinner together and plan to make a “party” of watching the asteroid’s impact with the moon. They had invited their neighbor Mrs. Nesbitt to join them, but she said she’d rather...
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After the asteroid hits the moon, the mood quickly changes. Miranda says that the impact was shocking, and felt like an...
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...her clock radio about the similar devastation on the west coast. She can see the moon out her window—its new appearance frightens her.
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Chapter 3
...the night before—namely that the asteroid was denser than they’d predicted and it knocked the moon closer to the earth—they cannot predict what the lasting outcomes will be.
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Chapter 4
...customers. Among these are rumors that there will be no electricity all summer, that the moon will crash into the earth by Christmas, and that the school board has voted not...
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...and she, Laura, and Jonny are feeling nervous—especially since it’s a clear night and the moon appears too big and bright. The electricity is working, so Jonny and Miranda have turned...
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Chapter 7
...or foggy. Miranda asks Matt and Laura about it, and they tell her that the moon’s increased gravitational pull is still causing earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods—but now it’s caused volcanoes to...
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Chapter 8
July 20. Miranda realizes it’s the anniversary of the first time men walked on the moon. It’s a fact that she remembers from all her moon-themed assignments back in May. She...
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...Lisa live, is a sort of heaven on earth that hasn’t been impacted by the moon’s collision. So when Laura pulls Miranda aside to tell her plans have changed—that Miranda and...
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Chapter 13
...something she expects will happens soon. Mrs. Nesbitt hasn’t heard from her son since the moon collision, which can’t be a good sign. Miranda vows to go back the next day...
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Chapter 14
...air quality. And Miranda is grateful that the ash cloud blocks her view of the moon.
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