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Chapter 4
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
Simon thinks about Robert’s kiss the whole train ride home. But just before he gets through his door, a cop (Eddie O’Donoghue) stops him and asks if he’s Simon Gold. When Simon says yes, the cop puts him in the car and takes him to a nearby police station. Once there, the cop hands him a phone, and Simon hears Gertie on the other end. Gertie sobs, asking why Simon left. Simon apologizes, but he says that he has to live the life he wants. Gertie then informs Simon that Arthur took over the business—it’s now called Milavetz’s—and Simon feels ashamed.
Simon understands the ramifications of his decision most fully here, learning that the family business no longer belongs to their family. In leaving, he eradicated the part of his father’s legacy that Saul hoped Simon would continue after his death. However, as Simon notes, taking over the business would have come at the expense of Simon’s own happiness and ability to find meaning in life.
Themes
When Gertie asks about Simon’s dancing, Simon doesn’t know how to explain it. He thinks that dancing makes him feel like he has wings. Gertie then tells Simon that if he doesn’t want to come back, she doesn’t want to see him anymore. They hang up. Simon is stunned, feeling suddenly that he is without a safety net. The cop takes Simon outside by the shirt collar. He yells at Simon, saying that people like him just live off the city like parasites. Suddenly, Klara appears and rescues Simon. She asks the cop’s name, and he gives it—Eddie O’Donoghue. She says she’ll remember that and pulls Simon away.
This passage shows the dual nature of family. Families can be sources of tension and anger, which is what causes the estrangement between Gertie and Simon here. But families can also be protective. Despite the fact that Klara and Simon have just had a heated fight, she still protects him when he needs her. Also, even if he can’t fully express it, Simon reiterates how dancing makes him feel as though he has supernatural abilities, imbuing dancing with magic and significance.
Themes
