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Part 6, Chapter 7
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Meaning
Love and Vulnerability
Freedom
Art, Creativity, and Expression
Wonder and Knowledge
Summary
Analysis
New York City. July 30, 2014. Henry follows Addie around the apartment. How could she agree to meet with Luc? Addie tells Henry she doesn’t want to lose him. Henry thinks it’s too late and that they should just enjoy the time they still have together; he might have been stupid, but he made a choice. But Addie won’t give up, even if Henry has accepted his fate. Then she slips the ring onto her finger. There’s a knock at the door.
Addie’s determination to save Henry reflects her decision to prioritize love and commitment over individual freedom. She’s willing to entertain Luc’s demands if it means she can help someone she cares about. Recall how upset Addie was when, years before, Luc accused her of abandoning Estele in Estele’s final days of sickness. With Henry, she has an opportunity to do the opposite: to give up her personal freedom to help someone she cares about.
Themes
Addie greets Luc at the door. Luc is dressed all in black, in tailored pants, a silk tie, and a button-down shirt. He and Addie leave together. At first, Addie thinks she should have listened to Henry and just let this be, but it’s too late for that now. Addie follows Luc downstairs, out of the building, and into the street. Luc summons a car for them. The driver drives without being told where to take them. When Addie asks where Luc is taking her, Luc doesn’t say anything. They drive over the Manhattan Bridge in silence. The silence is strategic; Addie and Luc have been at war for years, and tonight, Addie has to win.
Luc greets Addie as though dressed for a romantic evening on the town together. But Addie’s description of the silence between them as strategic shows that she has no illusions about Luc’s intentions with her—not anymore, at least. They are not in a relationship with each other: they are enemies embroiled in a war, and she must assume that all of Luc’s actions are geared toward manipulating, controlling, and defeating her.
Themes
