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Chapter 38
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Noughts and Crosses, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Division, and Tragedy
Awareness and Privilege
Love, Lust, Power, and Violence
Friendship
Youth, Innocence, and Growing Up
Family
Summary
Analysis
Sephy and Minnie are sitting in the hospital hallway, waiting to hear something about Mother. Suddenly, Mr. Hadley’s personal secretary, Juno Ayelette, appears and marches toward the girls—and scolds them for not thinking. They never should’ve called an ambulance on the landline, and should’ve called her first. Now the story is out that Mother is trying to attract attention because Mr. Hadley is leaving her. Minnie and Sephy are confused—Mother tried to kill herself. But Juno scoffs: someone who wants to die takes more than four sleeping pills. Juno pulls out her phone and calls someone to tell them that they must spread the word that this was an accident. Minnie grabs Juno’s phone and stomps on it.
Whatever Mother’s goal was, her daughters recognize that she needs medical attention. Juno, on the other hand, cruelly suggests that they can’t take Mother seriously. What matters more, Juno insists, is that the Hadley family preserve its reputation and not seem overly dramatic in the papers and on the news. It seems like there’s some hope that the Hadley women, at least, might pull together and support each other when Minnie stomps on Juno’s phone in protest.
Themes
