Leaving Time
“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.
Chapter 37: Jenna
byPicoult, Jodi
Jenna, Virgil, and Serenity examine a small tooth found at the scene, initially assuming it belongs to an animal like Maura’s calf. Jenna clings to this belief to avoid confronting darker possibilities, while Virgil remains skeptical due to its size. Serenity suggests involving the police, but Jenna feels uneasy, especially after learning Serenity’s earlier vision of her mother was a deception. The tension rises when Tallulah, a forensic expert, enters and identifies the tooth as human—a deciduous molar from a child under five. This revelation shatters Jenna, triggering a visceral physical and emotional reaction.
The narrative shifts to Jenna’s fragmented childhood memories, revealing a traumatic event. As a young child, she was lured away by an unfamiliar woman under the pretense of a game, only to be violently attacked. The woman’s soothing words contrast horrifically with her actions, as she smothers Jenna and strikes her with a rock. Jenna’s disoriented recollections blend fear with surreal imagery, including Maura the elephant rescuing her. The elephant’s gentle care—covering her with branches and comforting her—stands in stark contrast to the human cruelty she endured.
Jenna’s consciousness wavers between past and present, struggling to reconcile the truth. In the lab, she dissociates, her surroundings fading as Serenity’s voice becomes indistinct. The chapter underscores Jenna’s lifelong fear of abandonment, rooted in her mother’s disappearance and the betrayal by the woman who harmed her. The elephant’s protective role symbolizes an unexpected sanctuary, while the human world remains fraught with danger and deception.
The chapter culminates in Jenna’s emotional collapse, as the weight of the tooth’s origin and her suppressed memories overwhelm her. Her physical pain mirrors the psychological torment of realizing the tooth likely belongs to her younger self. The narrative leaves her suspended between reality and memory, grappling with the unresolved trauma of her past and the unanswered questions about her mother’s fate. The interplay of trust, betrayal, and survival underscores the chapter’s haunting tone.
FAQs
1. What is the significance of the tooth discovered in this chapter, and how does its identification impact Jenna?
Answer:
The tooth initially believed to be from Maura’s calf is revealed to be a human deciduous (baby) tooth belonging to a child under five years old. This discovery triggers a traumatic memory for Jenna, suggesting the tooth may be hers from a childhood attack. The identification shatters Jenna’s denial about her mother’s disappearance and forces her to confront repressed memories of violence (the hand over her mouth, the rock) and her rescue by Maura the elephant. This moment represents a psychological breaking point where Jenna’s subconscious memories surface painfully.2. Analyze how the author uses contrasting imagery to depict Jenna’s childhood trauma versus Maura’s protective actions.
Answer:
The chapter contrasts violent imagery (“a big rock,” “hand comes over my mouth”) with Maura’s gentle care (“rub[s] me with her back foot,” “touch…like pretending to be the wind”). The attacker’s darkness (“night like a bowl knocked upside down”) opposes Maura’s softness (“secret of her breath,” “paintbrush branches like a blanket”). This juxtaposition highlights trauma versus salvation - where human cruelty fails, animal instinct provides compassion. The elephant’s actions mirror ideal maternal care, contrasting with Jenna’s actual loss.3. How does Serenity’s admission about never truly contacting Alice Metcalf affect Jenna, and what does this reveal about Jenna’s psychological state?
Answer:
Serenity’s confession that Alice never appeared to her devastates Jenna because it removes her last hope of supernatural connection with her mother. This intensifies Jenna’s abandonment trauma (“people disappear…don’t know if they’re coming back”). The revelation shows Jenna’s desperate need for closure has led her to suspend disbelief, and its collapse forces her to confront harsh realities. Her inability to look Serenity in the eye demonstrates profound shame over her own vulnerability and the crushing weight of accepting her mother may truly be gone.4. Interpret the symbolic meaning of Jenna’s dissociation episode at the chapter’s end (“I’m not anywhere”).
Answer:
Jenna’s dissociation - where Serenity becomes “black-and-white, dappled like static” - symbolizes her psyche fracturing under the weight of recovered memories. The “cell phone in the mountains” metaphor represents her fragmented consciousness only processing partial truths. This episode mirrors childhood trauma responses (“when you close your eyes, people disappear”) while demonstrating how present revelations trigger past survival mechanisms. The “line go[ing] dead” signifies both failed spiritual connections and psychological shutdown, illustrating how trauma survivors mentally escape unbearable realities.
Quotes
1. “It’s what happened. When I wake up, my mother is gone, just like I knew would happen all along.”
This quote captures Jenna’s deep-seated fear of abandonment and foreshadows the traumatic revelation about her childhood. It represents the chapter’s central theme of loss and the psychological impact of parental disappearance.
2. “It is why I don’t like to close my eyes, because when you do, people disappear. And if people disappear, you don’t know for sure that they are ever coming back.”
This poignant reflection reveals Jenna’s childhood trauma manifesting in a fear of sleep. The metaphor powerfully connects physical sight with emotional security, showing how early experiences shaped her worldview.
3. “But I am not her good girl or her happy girl. I belong to my mother.”
This statement represents Jenna’s crucial moment of childhood realization about identity and belonging. It highlights the conflict between her true self and the persona others try to impose on her, while affirming her bond with her mother.
4. “For a while I am asleep, I think. I dream my mother’s voice. All I can see are the trees leaning together, like they are trying to tell secrets, as Maura bursts through them.”
This lyrical passage marks the transition to Jenna’s traumatic memory. The personification of nature (“trees telling secrets”) creates an ominous atmosphere while introducing the protective role of the elephant Maura in the narrative.
5. “Everything is soft: the secret of her breath on my cheek, the paintbrush branches she covers me with, like a blanket to keep me warm.”
This beautiful contrast to the preceding violence shows Maura’s tender care for Jenna. The sensory details create a powerful image of protection in nature, representing the chapter’s theme of unexpected guardianship amidst trauma.