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Visitation: Chapter 22
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in NW, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class Identity and Social Mobility
Geography and Human Connection
Sex and Relationships
Altruism
Summary
Analysis
Leah and Michel get a heavier lock on their door. Michel spends more time at the computer, trying to find a scheme to make money. Adina at work can’t believe how long Leah stays sad about Olive. Leah agrees to join a waiting list with the National Health Service about fertility, but she still secretly takes contraceptive pills.
The death of Olive doesn’t change Leah’s mind about children—if anything, it just makes her more determined to keep hiding secrets from her husband. Although Leah had genuine affection for Olive, her lingering sadness over Olive’s death also seems to stem from her guilt over not seeing the warning signs that Olive was seriously injured, which may relate to her guilt about the contraceptives she takes.
Themes
It gets to be August. One day, when Leah happens to be watching television, she notices a report about a fatal stabbing at a carnival in Kilburn, one street away from Leah’s on Albert Road. The victim was Felix Cooper, who grew up in a housing project but left it to try to find a better life. They turn off the news, and Michel says they have to move. Leah doesn’t want to, but Michel won’t listen.
Felix is mentioned only in passing here as just another crime statistic on the news. The novel keeps him at a distance, with the news report focusing on the impoverished circumstances he grew up in. Although Leah barely gives Felix a second thought, the rest of the novel will explore the unexpected connections that all come out of that one stabbing.
Themes
Leah leaves the TV and tries to have fun at the party they’re hosting. She gets drunk quickly. At one point, she corners Frank and asks him how he and Natalie manage to stay happy. Frank says he tells Natalie everything. As Leah steps back and looks around, she passes out disposable cameras and encourages everyone to take pictures. She’s surprised to realize that she is actually having a good time.
An earlier chapter in the book that takes place later in time (in which Leah talks to her deceased father) reveals that the happiness she feels now won’t necessarily last. The disposable cameras also hint at how fleeting this moment is. Still, Leah’s ability to find joy even after everything that’s happened lately, including the death of Olive, shows how people are resilient.
Themes
