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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Time Traveler’s Wife, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Here and Now
Love and Absence
Free Will vs. Determinism
Language and Art
Self-Love
Summary
Analysis
Monday, June 3, 1996 (Clare is 25). Clare is eight weeks pregnant. She washes dishes alone, watching the sunset. Henry has been gone for two hours. After Clare feeds herself and takes her daily vitamins, she feels an internal pain. Soon, she has menstrual cramps and finds her underwear stained red with blood. Charisse and Gomez arrive to take her to the hospital, and she leaves a note on the table for Henry explaining that she is having a miscarriage and has gone to the hospital. Henry arrives after the baby is already gone, and they cry together.
In the book, the color red symbolizes the ongoing struggles of life, as the red blood Clare bleeds during her miscarriage illustrates. This is perhaps the most difficult experience for Clare to endure in Henry’s absence. It also raises questions about what other big events Henry will miss if he and Clare do eventually have a child together.
Themes
Thursday, June 13 and Friday, June 14, 1996 (Henry is 32). Henry has been undergoing study at a sleep lab with Dr. Kendrick for five days. He arrives for his last night of supervision. There, he dreams of running, having sex with Ingrid, and walking through a museum with Clare. Henry is torn from sleep and wakes up somewhere he doesn’t know, bleeding in the snow. Almost immediately, he travels back to the sleep lab. The nurse explains that Henry is bleeding from ripping his electrodes off. Dr. Kendrick comes in the room and excitedly tells him they caught the brief time travel episode in their study.
Henry continues to try to take control of his life in whatever ways he can, putting in the time to undergo a sleep study with Dr. Kendrick with the hope that he may find a cure—or simply a way to treat—his condition. As Henry matures, he's increasingly able and willing to take care of himself, for his own wellbeing and for Clare’s, too. Dr. Kendrick’s announcement about capturing a brief time travel seems promising, but given that future versions of Henry exist, it's unlikely that this development will lead to a cure or a highly effective treatment.
Themes
