Previous
Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Double Helix, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Research, Adventure, and the Thrill of Discovery
Scientific Collaboration, Competition, and Community
DNA and the Secret of Life
Academic Life and the University
Summary
Analysis
Maurice Wilkins only went to Naples because his boss was too busy to present their work at a conference. Expectations at the conference were low, since the Italian scientists didn’t speak English and the international scientists didn’t speak Italian. Meanwhile, Watson was already in Naples, and he wasn’t enjoying it. The tiny room he rented was freezing cold, and he still wasn’t interested in Herman Kalckar’s biochemistry research, which had nothing to do with genetics. He found the conference’s X-ray diffraction crystallographers more interesting, but he tried not to get his hopes up, because their work was famously complicated and unreliable.
Watson attended the Naples conference almost on a whim: as a young scientist without a clear direction for his research, he simply wanted exposure to new ideas. In fact, his struggle to identify his research interests was also a struggle to determine his place in the broader scientific community. He knew that he didn’t want to simply learn about the properties of the DNA molecule, as Kalckar was doing, but rather understand DNA’s specific implications for genetics.
Themes
Against all odds, Maurice Wilkins’s presentation on X-ray diffraction crystallography astonished Watson. It even included a rudimentary photo of DNA. The next day, Watson found Wilkins during a group excursion and explained his interest in DNA. Wilkins flirted with Watson’s sister Elizabeth, who was visiting from the U.S., but didn’t follow up about Watson’s research interests.
Wilkins’s presentation awoke Watson’s curiosity and sense of wonder. Tellingly, these passionate feelings—not obligation or self-interest—were the fundamental motive behind his interest in science. Nevertheless, Watson had clearly lost touch with this deeper love for science. And unfortunately, Wilkins didn’t seem to see or appreciate Watson’s interests when he met Watson in person.
Themes
