Leaving Time
Chapter 18: Alice
by Picoult, JodiThe chapter follows Alice, an elephant researcher, as she observes Kagiso, a pregnant elephant whose impending birth becomes a focal point in her life. Alice reflects on her own unnoticed pregnancy, drawing parallels between her emotional state and the elephants she studies. Her work, once energizing, now feels routine, and she finds herself constantly thinking of Thomas, a colleague who left for another continent. Their connection, though distant, persists through scholarly exchanges, with unspoken emotions hidden beneath academic discourse. Alice’s growing attachment to Thomas contrasts with her professional detachment from the elephants, hinting at an internal conflict between personal and scientific priorities.
Alice witnesses Kagiso’s tragic stillbirth, a moment that shatters her usual objectivity. Unlike typical elephant births, Kagiso is alone, her herd absent, and her attempts to revive the calf are heartbreakingly futile. The scene triggers Alice’s memories of other grieving elephants, leading her to question the nature of motherhood and loss. Overcome by emotion, she cries—a rare breach of her researcher’s detachment. This moment forces her to confront the harshness of nature and her own helplessness, mirroring her unresolved feelings about her pregnancy and Thomas. The incident becomes a turning point, blurring the line between observer and participant in life’s cycles.
After recording Kagiso’s grief, Alice finally acknowledges her own pregnancy and travels to meet Thomas in New England. She deliberately withholds her pregnancy news, rationalizing that their brief connection doesn’t obligate him to involvement. Her decision reflects both her independence and fear, shaped by her work with matriarchal elephant societies. The chapter highlights Alice’s internal struggle: she plans to potentially raise the child alone in Africa, yet seeks Thomas out, suggesting unresolved feelings. Her actions reveal a contradiction between her intellectual understanding of relationships and her emotional needs.
The chapter closes with Alice’s arrival in Boston, where Thomas greets her with an unconventional gesture—an uprooted plant. Their reunion is charged with unspoken tension and humor, contrasting with the gravity of Alice’s secret. This moment encapsulates the chapter’s themes of connection, concealment, and the interplay between personal and professional lives. Alice’s journey—from observing elephant grief to confronting her own vulnerabilities—culminates in this ambiguous reunion, leaving her future decisions about motherhood and Thomas deliberately unresolved.
FAQs
1. How does Alice’s observation of Kagiso’s stillborn calf parallel her own personal situation at this point in the chapter?
Answer:
Alice witnesses Kagiso’s profound grief over her stillborn calf, which mirrors Alice’s own unacknowledged pregnancy and emotional turmoil. Just as Kagiso loses her identity as a mother when her calf dies, Alice grapples with the sudden realization of her pregnancy and what it means for her future. The chapter emphasizes this parallel through Alice’s reflection: “If you are a mother, you must have someone to take care of.” Both Alice and Kagiso experience a crisis of identity—one through loss, the other through unexpected creation—highlighting the theme of motherhood as central to self-definition.2. Analyze the significance of Thomas and Alice’s communication through “the secret code of scholarly articles.” What does this reveal about their relationship?
Answer:
Their exchange of research notes and articles serves as a metaphor for their unspoken emotional connection. While their messages appear professional on the surface (“This might interest you”), they carry deeper personal meanings (“I miss you”). This indirect communication reflects their hesitation to acknowledge romantic feelings due to geographical and professional barriers. However, it also demonstrates their intellectual bond and shared passion for elephant behavior, which forms the foundation of their relationship. The “code” allows them to maintain closeness while avoiding vulnerability, until Alice’s pregnancy forces a reckoning.3. How does the chapter challenge traditional scientific objectivity in wildlife research?
Answer:
Alice’s breakdown while observing Kagiso’s grief violates the principle of detached observation that researchers typically uphold (“Nature is a cruel bitch… we are not supposed to interfere”). Her emotional response—contrasted with her previous “dispassionate” recordings of elephant deaths—signals a shift in perspective. The chapter suggests that complete objectivity may be impossible when studying deeply social, emotional creatures like elephants, especially when the researcher’s personal experiences mirror the animals’ struggles. Alice’s tears represent a moment of recognition that science and empathy are not mutually exclusive.4. Why does Alice withhold her pregnancy from Thomas when arranging her visit to New Hampshire? What does this decision reveal about her character?
Answer:
Alice keeps the pregnancy secret because she wants to evaluate Thomas’ suitability as a co-parent without obligation (“I simply didn’t feel that one night… meant Thomas necessarily deserved a vote”). This demonstrates her independence and pragmatic approach to motherhood, shaped by her work with elephant matriarchs. However, it also reveals her fear of vulnerability—she’d rather maintain control than risk rejection or compromise. Her plan to potentially raise the child alone in Africa underscores her self-reliance, but the very act of visiting Thomas suggests she hopes for a deeper connection.5. Interpret the symbolic meaning of Thomas greeting Alice with an “uprooted plant upside down” at the airport.
Answer:
The uprooted plant symbolizes the disrupted natural order of both characters’ lives. Like the plant, Alice is displaced from her African research setting and carrying new, ungrounded life within her. Its inverted position mirrors Alice’s upended expectations about motherhood and her relationship with Thomas. Yet the fact that Thomas brings a living thing (despite its messy presentation) foreshadows potential growth in their relationship. The dirt falling on Alice’s shoes suggests she cannot fully escape the consequences of their connection, just as she cannot ignore her pregnancy.
Quotes
1. “What I really meant when I wrote This might interest you was I miss you. What he really meant when he wrote Thought of you the other day was You are always on my mind.”
This poignant quote reveals the unspoken emotional subtext of Alice and Thomas’s academic correspondence, illustrating how their professional exchanges masked deeper personal connections. It marks a turning point where their relationship evolves beyond scholarly collaboration.
2. “If you are a mother, you must have someone to take care of. If that someone is taken from you, whether it is a newborn or an individual old enough to have offspring of its own, can you still call yourself a mother?”
This profound reflection captures Alice’s existential questioning about motherhood after observing Kagiso’s grief, foreshadowing her own pregnancy dilemma. The quote ties elephant behavior to human experience, a central theme in the chapter.
3. “Nature is a cruel bitch. We researchers are not supposed to interfere, but I wondered if things might have been different had we monitored Kagiso months earlier.”
This raw admission shows Alice’s professional detachment crumbling in the face of personal empathy, highlighting the tension between scientific objectivity and emotional involvement. It sets up her subsequent decision to visit Thomas while pregnant.
4. “I simply didn’t feel that one night under a baobab tree meant Thomas necessarily deserved a vote.”
This blunt statement reveals Alice’s pragmatic approach to her unexpected pregnancy and establishes her independent mindset. The quote introduces the central conflict about parental rights and responsibilities that will unfold in their reunion.