Previous
Chapter 31
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Women, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma, Healing, and the Vietnam War
Women’s Experiences and Solidarity
Heroism, Honor, and Sacrifice
Propaganda vs. Truth
Shame, Pride, and Moral Ambiguity
Summary
Analysis
Frankie wakes in the hospital. Dad is there along with a police officer, who informs Frankie she almost killed the cyclist and herself. She’s being charged with driving under the influence. On the drive home, Dad asks if Frankie wants to die. She can’t remember if she was trying to drive off the bridge, but she promises to do better. Dad says Frankie seems broken. Later, Frankie lies awake in her childhood bedroom resisting her craving for a sleeping pill. The guilt and shame of her actions torment her. Remembering Henry’s suggestion of therapy, Frankie decides to try the VA again, reasoning only her fellow veterans will understand her trauma. Mom lets Frankie borrow her car, despite her instability.
The incident with the cyclist makes it clear to Frankie how poorly she is coping with her trauma. That she is unable to recall whether or not she intended to kill herself is equally disturbing. Her response to Dad’s concerns is telling: she will try to “do better,” implying her depression is a disappointment rather than a condition for which she needs help. Here, it is evident that Frankie is still unproductively shaming herself for not overcoming her trauma from Vietnam. Frightened that she almost killed someone, Frankie reluctantly seeks help from the people she believes will understand her best: veterans.
Themes
At the VA, Frankie learns about an upcoming rap session where veterans can share their stories. Predictably, Frankie is the only woman there. A man approaches her and says the therapy is only for vets. He insists there were no women in Vietnam. Hearing Frankie was a nurse, the man recommends she talk to other women about that—the men will “clam up” if she stays. Outside, Frankie screams in rage. With nowhere to go, she decides to visit the cyclist she almost killed, Bill Brightman, Coronado high school’s principal. Frankie apologizes to Brightman, who coldly reminds her to think of what losing people does to their family the next time she drives drunk. Frankie returns to her parents’ house.
Despite her previous experience at the VA, Frankie hopes that someone there will help her. Sadly, she is once again reduced to and disqualified by her gender. The veteran running the rap session not only implies Frankie’s trauma is lesser than a man’s because she never saw direct combat, but he also declares her presence disruptive and unhelpful to male veterans. Rejected by her own community, Frankie instead tries to atone for last night’s mistake. Admittedly, Brightman doesn’t know Frankie’s family history, but his words about losing a family member invoke Finley, reminding her that she almost traumatized another family in the same way.
Themes
That night, drowning in depression, Frankie takes two pills, unable to recall her last dose. She hears Finley calling to her and imagines they’re kids again. Frankie rises, grabs her old surfboard, and makes for the ocean, calling for Finley. The water is freezing, and Frankie feels weak. She closes her eyes and drifts on the sea. Later, Frankie wakes in an ambulance. Dad is beside her, soaking wet. Frankie tries to explain her dream of Finley, but Dad blames the sleeping pills. He thinks she tried to kill herself, and Frankie cannot tell if that’s true. The ambulance delivers Frankie to a psychiatric ward for a mandatory 36-hour hold. Dad cries as attendants wheel Frankie away and sedate her.
Frankie no longer cares about taking care of herself, fully giving in to her addiction. Being visited by Finley’s specter could suggest a few things: he could be a hallucination, she might be close to death or longing for it, or else has traced the path of her suffering all the way back to the trauma of losing Finley. Either way, swimming into the ocean with no plan of return heavily suggests that Frankie is suicidal, even if she denies it. This event finally breaks Dad’s resolve to turn away from Frankie’s pain. Unable to help his daughter himself, Dad makes the difficult choice to send her somewhere that can.
Themes
Upgrade to unlock the analysis and theme tracking for all of The WomenThe Women!
Get LitCharts A+
