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Chapter 25
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Immortalists, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fate vs. Choice
Family and Shared History
Obsession
Death, Meaning, and Legacy
Surviving vs. Living
Magic, Religion, Dance, and Possibility
Summary
Analysis
Raj and Ruby leave early in the morning. They barely speak to Daniel as they say goodbye. Daniel is upset at the prospect of losing a relationship with Ruby, and he worries about returning to work on Monday, feeling like he has lost his power to make decisions. Then, as Daniel eats breakfast, his cell phone rings: it’s Eddie O’Donoghue. He tells Daniel that they’ve cleared Bruna Costello of all charges, explaining that there wasn’t enough evidence to argue that she caused the suicides. Daniel is furious, upset that she might continue to cause more suicides and that Eddie couldn’t get justice. Daniel tells Eddie that today is the day she predicted his own death. Eddie tells Daniel to take care of himself.
Although Daniel’s philosophy is based entirely on choice, there are also many events out of his control that contribute to his instability in this moment: the fact that Raj and Ruby are leaving after a fight, the fact that he was put on leave two weeks prior, and the fact that Eddie contacted him 14 years after they first met—only a few days before Daniel’s predicted date of death. Thus, the story emphasizes that fate and choice work in tandem, even when a person doesn’t believe in fate.
Themes
After hanging up, Daniel throws his phone against the wall and thinks about the last time he talked to Simon, when Simon was sick. He asked Simon what he could do to help, and now he has the answer. Daniel decides to find the fortune teller on the very day she predicted his death and force her to confess that she caused his siblings’ deaths. He remembers Bruna’s location from the FBI posting—West Milton, Ohio—and he researches a neighborhood in the town where the fortune teller likely lives. West Milton is a ten-hour drive from Kingston, and he thinks it wouldn’t be hard to find an RV.
Even though Daniel is adamant that fate doesn’t exist, the knowledge of his fate has a big effect on his choices, too. Knowing that his predicted date of death is that very day, Daniel chooses to pursue the fortune teller to achieve some kind of poetic justice. Without knowing his fate, then, it is possible that he wouldn’t have fulfilled the prophecy. It also shows how Daniel’s obsession with the idea of proving free will is leading him to act irrationally.
Themes
The phone rings in the kitchen, and Daniel picks up—it’s Varya. She couldn’t come to Thanksgiving because she was at a conference in Amsterdam. He says he knows why she’s calling. She asks him what he’s doing that day, and when he replies that he’s going to find the fortune teller and force her to apologize for what she did to the family, Varya says that isn’t funny. Daniel grows angry with her for calling on this day but not any other. He tells her that he’s fine and hangs up.
Varya’s distance only enrages Daniel further because he feels that she is checking in on him to make sure he is all right on the day of his prediction, but she doesn’t want to remain connected to him otherwise. Her calling also implies that she believes in his fate or is worried that he may do something that will fulfill it.
Themes
Daniel grabs the keys to his car. Before he can leave, Gertie stops him and asks where he’s going. He replies that he’s going to the office. She says she’s worried about him, but he brushes her off. When she says he shouldn’t work on Shabbat, Daniel says that God doesn’t care. Daniel kisses her cheek and then leaves. He retrieves a small handgun from his shed and gets into the car. By the time he realizes he forgot to clear his browser history, he’s in Pennsylvania.
Daniel continues to make choices that tempt fate: pursuing the fortune teller, carrying a gun, and choosing to drive ten hours to try to find her on his predicted death date are all risky actions to take. In addition, Gertie’s attempt to stop Daniel, particularly by invoking Shabbat, calls back to Daniel’s earlier assertion that God doesn’t control people’s actions, but he does try and nudge people in the right direction. If Daniel had not disregarded God so completely here, he might have made a better decision (to not pursue the fortune teller).
Themes
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