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    Leaving Time

    by

    Picoult, Jodi

    “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult is a gripping novel that intertwines mystery, grief, and the bond between humans and elephants. The story follows Jenna Metcalf, a 13-year-old girl searching for her mother, Alice, a renowned elephant researcher who disappeared a decade earlier under mysterious circumstances. With the help of a skeptical psychic and a disgraced detective, Jenna uncovers buried secrets about her mother’s work and the tragic events at an elephant sanctuary. The novel explores themes of memory, loss, and maternal love, while weaving in fascinating insights into elephant behavior and emotions. Picoult blends emotional depth with suspense, culminating in a surprising twist that redefines the narrative.

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    Leaving Time

    Chapter 31: Jenna

    by

    Picoult, Jodi

    The chap­ter opens with Jen­na return­ing home after an unex­plained absence, greet­ed by her grand­moth­er’s mix of relief and anger. Her grand­moth­er’s fran­tic wor­ry is evi­dent as she recounts call­ing neigh­bors, the school, and even Jen­na’s nonex­is­tent friends, ampli­fy­ing Jen­na’s humil­i­a­tion. The ten­sion esca­lates when Jen­na sar­cas­ti­cal­ly asks if her grand­moth­er called the police, trig­ger­ing a near-phys­i­cal con­fronta­tion. Ordered to her room, Jen­na retreats to the bath­room, where she sub­merges her­self in the tub, push­ing her body to the brink of drown­ing in a des­per­ate attempt to con­nect with her deceased moth­er’s final moments.

    In the bath­tub, Jen­na’s thoughts spi­ral as she imag­ines her own death and funer­al, draw­ing par­al­lels to her moth­er’s trag­ic end. She fix­ates on the autop­sy report, won­der­ing if her moth­er felt the same suf­fo­cat­ing pres­sure before her death. This macabre exper­i­ment becomes a twist­ed way for Jen­na to share an expe­ri­ence with the moth­er she nev­er knew. Just as she reach­es her lim­it, she sur­faces vio­lent­ly, cough­ing up blood and vom­it­ing, phys­i­cal­ly shat­tered by the ordeal. The inten­si­ty of the scene under­scores Jen­na’s unre­solved grief and her dan­ger­ous cop­ing mech­a­nisms.

    The nar­ra­tive shifts as Jen­na recalls child­hood mem­o­ries of bathing with her moth­er, a stark con­trast to her cur­rent despair. These fleet­ing moments of warmth and safe­ty remind her that she has, in fact, shared some­thing pro­found with her moth­er: love. This real­iza­tion soft­ens her anguish slight­ly, though it does­n’t ful­ly alle­vi­ate her pain. The chap­ter then tran­si­tions into Jen­na’s reflec­tions on lit­er­ary fig­ures like Cap­tain Ahab and Javert, draw­ing par­al­lels to her own obses­sive quest to find her mother—a quest that now seems futile.

    Jen­na grap­ples with the final­i­ty of her moth­er’s death, acknowl­edg­ing that her search has reached a dead end. While she feels a sliv­er of relief know­ing her moth­er did­n’t aban­don her will­ing­ly, she must also con­front the hor­ri­fy­ing like­li­hood that her father was the killer. This rev­e­la­tion feels less shock­ing to Jen­na, as her father had already been lost to men­tal ill­ness long before. The chap­ter clos­es with Jen­na sus­pend­ed between grief, accep­tance, and the daunt­ing real­i­ty of her frac­tured fam­i­ly his­to­ry.

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    FAQs

    • 1. How does Jenna’s grandmother react when Jenna returns home, and what does this reveal about their relationship?

      Answer:
      Jenna’s grandmother reacts with a mix of relief and anger, grabbing Jenna tightly while simultaneously seeming to want to hurt her. She reveals she thought Jenna had run away, was doing drugs, or had been kidnapped, showing deep concern but also a lack of trust. Her actions—calling Jenna’s school, friends, and even the babysitting employer—highlight her fear of losing Jenna, but also her overbearing nature. The tension between them is palpable, especially when Jenna sarcastically asks if her grandmother called the police, referencing past conflicts. This interaction underscores their strained relationship, marked by love but also resentment and miscommunication.

      2. Analyze the significance of Jenna’s bathtub scene. What does this moment reveal about her emotional state and her connection to her mother?

      Answer:
      The bathtub scene is a powerful metaphor for Jenna’s grief and desperation. By submerging herself, she attempts to physically experience what her mother might have felt before her death, showing her longing to connect with her mother even in suffering. The vivid imagery—bubbles like “kamikaze warriors,” hair like “seaweed”—conveys her turmoil. When she nearly drowns but then vomits, it symbolizes her inability to fully escape her pain. The subsequent memory of bathing with her mother as a child, feeling loved, contrasts sharply with her current anguish, highlighting her unresolved grief and the duality of her emotions: despair over her mother’s absence but also comfort in their past bond.

      3. How does Jenna’s perspective on her mother’s death evolve by the end of the chapter?

      Answer:
      Initially, Jenna is consumed by the horror of her mother’s death and the possibility that her father killed her. However, by the chapter’s end, she experiences a shift: while she acknowledges the finality of death, she also feels relief in realizing her mother did not abandon her willingly. This “tiny green shoot of relief” suggests a partial acceptance of her mother’s absence. Jenna’s lack of tears and her detachment toward her father—whom she barely remembers—further show her emotional complexity. She begins to separate her mother’s love from the tragedy of her death, though her grief remains profound.

      4. Compare Jenna’s references to Captain Ahab and Javert. How do these literary allusions reflect her own journey?

      Answer:
      Jenna compares herself to Ahab and Javert, both obsessed with their pursuits (Ahab with the whale, Javert with Valjean). Like them, she has fixated on finding her mother, but her realization that her mother is dead forces her to confront the futility of her quest. The allusion suggests Jenna understands obsession’s destructive power—Ahab and Javert meet tragic ends when their obsessions define them. For Jenna, this moment marks a turning point: she must decide whether to let her search consume her or find a new identity beyond it. The references underscore her internal struggle between clinging to the past and moving forward.

      5. How does Jenna’s interaction with her dog, Gertie, contrast with her interaction with her grandmother? What does this reveal about her emotional needs?

      Answer:
      Gertie’s unconditional love—licking Jenna excitedly—provides immediate comfort, while her grandmother’s embrace is fraught with tension. Jenna uses Gertie as an escape from her grandmother’s anger, burying her face in the dog’s fur to avoid confrontation. This contrast highlights Jenna’s need for nonjudgmental affection, which Gertie offers freely, unlike her grandmother’s conditional care. The dog symbolizes stability and pure love in Jenna’s turbulent life, emphasizing her isolation and desire for connection without strings attached. Gertie’s presence subtly reinforces Jenna’s longing for the kind of love she once shared with her mother.

    Quotes

    • 1. “My grandmother stares at me as if she’s seeing a ghost. She grabs me tight, running her hands over my shoulders and my hair as if she needs to do an inventory. But there’s a viciousness in her touch, too, as if she is trying to hurt me just as badly as I’ve hurt her.”

      This opening quote powerfully captures the complex reunion between Jenna and her grandmother, blending relief, anger, and deep emotional wounds. It sets the tone for their strained relationship and the chapter’s exploration of grief and abandonment.

      2. “I’m mortified, and I’m mad at her, because it’s hard enough to be a loser whose mother’s dead and whose father killed her in a fit of crazy without becoming the laughingstock of the eighth grade.”

      This raw admission reveals Jenna’s teenage anguish about her traumatic past and social isolation. It underscores how her personal tragedy compounds typical adolescent insecurities, making her feel doubly alienated.

      3. “I just want, once, to share something she felt. Even if it’s the last thing I feel.”

      This poignant statement during Jenna’s near-drowning experience in the bathtub captures her desperate longing to connect with her deceased mother. It represents the chapter’s central theme of seeking connection with the lost parent through shared experience, even painful ones.

      4. “I realize then that I’ve already felt something my mother felt. Loved.”

      This epiphany provides a crucial emotional turning point, as Jenna remembers childhood moments of maternal care. It contrasts with her earlier destructive impulses, offering a redemptive realization about their enduring bond.

      5. “But I’m not crying, like I thought I would, not anymore. And there’s the tiniest green shoot of relief breaking through the wasteland of my thoughts: She did not willingly leave me behind.”

      This closing reflection shows Jenna beginning to process her mother’s death differently. The metaphor of new growth suggests the possibility of healing, as she finds solace in knowing her mother’s absence wasn’t by choice.

    Quotes

    1. “My grandmother stares at me as if she’s seeing a ghost. She grabs me tight, running her hands over my shoulders and my hair as if she needs to do an inventory. But there’s a viciousness in her touch, too, as if she is trying to hurt me just as badly as I’ve hurt her.”

    This opening quote powerfully captures the complex reunion between Jenna and her grandmother, blending relief, anger, and deep emotional wounds. It sets the tone for their strained relationship and the chapter’s exploration of grief and abandonment.

    2. “I’m mortified, and I’m mad at her, because it’s hard enough to be a loser whose mother’s dead and whose father killed her in a fit of crazy without becoming the laughingstock of the eighth grade.”

    This raw admission reveals Jenna’s teenage anguish about her traumatic past and social isolation. It underscores how her personal tragedy compounds typical adolescent insecurities, making her feel doubly alienated.

    3. “I just want, once, to share something she felt. Even if it’s the last thing I feel.”

    This poignant statement during Jenna’s near-drowning experience in the bathtub captures her desperate longing to connect with her deceased mother. It represents the chapter’s central theme of seeking connection with the lost parent through shared experience, even painful ones.

    4. “I realize then that I’ve already felt something my mother felt. Loved.”

    This epiphany provides a crucial emotional turning point, as Jenna remembers childhood moments of maternal care. It contrasts with her earlier destructive impulses, offering a redemptive realization about their enduring bond.

    5. “But I’m not crying, like I thought I would, not anymore. And there’s the tiniest green shoot of relief breaking through the wasteland of my thoughts: She did not willingly leave me behind.”

    This closing reflection shows Jenna beginning to process her mother’s death differently. The metaphor of new growth suggests the possibility of healing, as she finds solace in knowing her mother’s absence wasn’t by choice.

    FAQs

    1. How does Jenna’s grandmother react when Jenna returns home, and what does this reveal about their relationship?

    Answer:
    Jenna’s grandmother reacts with a mix of relief and anger, grabbing Jenna tightly while simultaneously seeming to want to hurt her. She reveals she thought Jenna had run away, was doing drugs, or had been kidnapped, showing deep concern but also a lack of trust. Her actions—calling Jenna’s school, friends, and even the babysitting employer—highlight her fear of losing Jenna, but also her overbearing nature. The tension between them is palpable, especially when Jenna sarcastically asks if her grandmother called the police, referencing past conflicts. This interaction underscores their strained relationship, marked by love but also resentment and miscommunication.

    2. Analyze the significance of Jenna’s bathtub scene. What does this moment reveal about her emotional state and her connection to her mother?

    Answer:
    The bathtub scene is a powerful metaphor for Jenna’s grief and desperation. By submerging herself, she attempts to physically experience what her mother might have felt before her death, showing her longing to connect with her mother even in suffering. The vivid imagery—bubbles like “kamikaze warriors,” hair like “seaweed”—conveys her turmoil. When she nearly drowns but then vomits, it symbolizes her inability to fully escape her pain. The subsequent memory of bathing with her mother as a child, feeling loved, contrasts sharply with her current anguish, highlighting her unresolved grief and the duality of her emotions: despair over her mother’s absence but also comfort in their past bond.

    3. How does Jenna’s perspective on her mother’s death evolve by the end of the chapter?

    Answer:
    Initially, Jenna is consumed by the horror of her mother’s death and the possibility that her father killed her. However, by the chapter’s end, she experiences a shift: while she acknowledges the finality of death, she also feels relief in realizing her mother did not abandon her willingly. This “tiny green shoot of relief” suggests a partial acceptance of her mother’s absence. Jenna’s lack of tears and her detachment toward her father—whom she barely remembers—further show her emotional complexity. She begins to separate her mother’s love from the tragedy of her death, though her grief remains profound.

    4. Compare Jenna’s references to Captain Ahab and Javert. How do these literary allusions reflect her own journey?

    Answer:
    Jenna compares herself to Ahab and Javert, both obsessed with their pursuits (Ahab with the whale, Javert with Valjean). Like them, she has fixated on finding her mother, but her realization that her mother is dead forces her to confront the futility of her quest. The allusion suggests Jenna understands obsession’s destructive power—Ahab and Javert meet tragic ends when their obsessions define them. For Jenna, this moment marks a turning point: she must decide whether to let her search consume her or find a new identity beyond it. The references underscore her internal struggle between clinging to the past and moving forward.

    5. How does Jenna’s interaction with her dog, Gertie, contrast with her interaction with her grandmother? What does this reveal about her emotional needs?

    Answer:
    Gertie’s unconditional love—licking Jenna excitedly—provides immediate comfort, while her grandmother’s embrace is fraught with tension. Jenna uses Gertie as an escape from her grandmother’s anger, burying her face in the dog’s fur to avoid confrontation. This contrast highlights Jenna’s need for nonjudgmental affection, which Gertie offers freely, unlike her grandmother’s conditional care. The dog symbolizes stability and pure love in Jenna’s turbulent life, emphasizing her isolation and desire for connection without strings attached. Gertie’s presence subtly reinforces Jenna’s longing for the kind of love she once shared with her mother.

    Note