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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 40: Alice

    by

    Picoult, Jodi

    The chap­ter delves into Alice’s pro­found grief and trans­for­ma­tion fol­low­ing per­son­al tragedies, includ­ing the loss of two babies and her for­mer iden­ti­ty. Now a ded­i­cat­ed care­tak­er at the Msali Ele­phant Orphan­age in South Africa, she immers­es her­self in work to avoid con­fronting her pain. Alice reflects on her past as a researcher in the Tuli Block and her brief life in the States, but she has dis­tanced her­self from her for­mer self, Alice Met­calf, whom she con­sid­ers “dead.” Her nights are haunt­ed by screams, and she avoids sleep, pre­fer­ring exhaus­tion to numb her emo­tions.

    Alice’s thoughts often linger on her daugh­ter Jen­na, though she rarely dwells on Thomas, who remains insti­tu­tion­al­ized, or Gideon, who died in Iraq. A drunk­en Google search revealed Gideon’s posthu­mous Medal of Hon­or, spark­ing a fleet­ing thought of vis­it­ing his grave. Alice’s only tan­gi­ble con­nec­tion to her past is a piece of bark-stripped wood from an ele­phant named Mau­ra, a rel­ic from her time at the Ten­nessee sanc­tu­ary. The arti­fact, hang­ing on her wall, sym­bol­izes her unre­solved grief and the life she left behind.

    The chap­ter takes a dra­mat­ic turn when the wood­en arti­fact sud­den­ly falls and breaks, coin­cid­ing with a phone call from Detec­tive Mills. The detec­tive’s rev­e­la­tion that they’ve found Jen­na’s body shat­ters Alice’s frag­ile equi­lib­ri­um. The call forces her to con­front the past she has tried to escape, sig­nal­ing that her years of hid­ing are over. The moment is charged with ten­sion, as Alice braces for the blame and guilt she has long antic­i­pat­ed.

    The chap­ter mas­ter­ful­ly inter­twines Alice’s inter­nal strug­gles with the exter­nal events that dis­rupt her care­ful­ly con­struct­ed life. Her grief, guilt, and attempts at redemp­tion are pal­pa­ble, cul­mi­nat­ing in the shock­ing rev­e­la­tion about Jen­na. The bro­ken arti­fact serves as a metaphor for Alice’s frac­tured psy­che, while the detec­tive’s call pro­pels the nar­ra­tive toward an inevitable reck­on­ing. The chap­ter leaves read­ers on the edge, antic­i­pat­ing the emo­tion­al fall­out of this long-buried truth.

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    FAQs

    • 1. How does Alice cope with her personal losses, and what does this reveal about her character?

      Answer:
      Alice copes with her profound losses (her two babies and her past identity) by immersing herself in work at the Msali Elephant Orphanage, becoming a “brittle, busy” person who avoids stillness. She describes herself as emerging “like a tornado,” suggesting her grief manifests in relentless activity to avoid introspection. This reveals her resilience but also self-destructive tendencies—she works until exhaustion to escape dreams and memories. Her admission that “the worst part of my day is when it is over” underscores her reliance on distraction to numb pain, painting her as both compassionate (toward the elephants) and deeply wounded.

      2. Analyze the significance of the wooden club from Maura and its breaking. What might this symbolize?

      Answer:
      The club, a remnant of Maura the elephant’s “artwork,” represents Alice’s last tangible connection to her past life in the U.S. and her work with elephants. Its delicate bark patterns mirror the fragility of her suppressed memories. When it breaks “into two clean halves” just before the detective’s call, it symbolizes the shattering of Alice’s carefully constructed anonymity and the inevitability of confronting her past. The timing suggests fate intervening—the physical break mirrors the emotional rupture about to occur as her daughter’s death is revealed, forcing Alice to reckon with buried trauma.

      3. How does the chapter portray the theme of reinvention versus identity?

      Answer:
      Alice actively rejects her former identity (“I have not been Alice Metcalf for a long time”) and declares her past self “dead,” illustrating reinvention as survival. However, her lingering actions—like the “drunken Google search” about Gideon or keeping Maura’s club—betray an unresolved tension between reinvention and attachment. Her work with elephants mirrors this duality: she channels grief into caregiving but avoids human connections. The detective’s call shatters this fragile balance, implying reinvention is unsustainable when core truths (like Jenna’s fate) remain unaddressed. The chapter critiques reinvention as both protective and isolating.

      4. Why might the author choose to reveal Gideon’s fate through Alice’s brief recollection?

      Answer:
      Gideon’s death in Iraq, revealed obliquely through Alice’s search, serves multiple narrative purposes. First, it underscores the permanence of her past losses—like Thomas’s institutionalization, Gideon’s death closes a door to reconciliation. Second, his Medal of Honor contrasts with Alice’s self-perception as a fugitive, highlighting themes of guilt and redemption. The brevity of this detail reflects Alice’s emotional detachment, yet its inclusion shows she still cares enough to research him. This economical storytelling also builds tension, as readers wonder if Alice’s fate will similarly be reduced to a tragic footnote.

      5. How does the chapter’s ending create suspense, and what literary devices are employed?

      Answer:
      The cliffhanger ending—the detective’s revelation about Jenna’s body—creates suspense through dramatic irony (readers know Alice assumed she was being hunted, not informed) and abrupt tonal shift. The phone call interrupts the quiet introspection of the scene, mirroring life’s unpredictability. Devices like foreshadowing (the breaking club) and juxtaposition (calm before the call) heighten tension. The detective’s formal tone (“with all due respect”) contrasts with Alice’s internal panic, emphasizing the collision of her hidden past with present reality. This propels readers into the next chapter, desperate to know how Alice will react.

    Quotes

    • 1. “I lost two babies, you know. One whom I knew and loved, and one I never met. I knew before I ran from the hospital that I had miscarried.”

      This opening line establishes Alice’s profound grief and trauma, revealing the dual loss that haunts her—both the daughter she raised (Jenna) and the unborn child she miscarried. It frames her emotional state and the chapter’s exploration of motherhood and absence.

      2. “Now I have more than a hundred babies who consume every waking moment of my life. I have become one of those brittle, busy people who emerge from suffering like a tornado, turning so fast that we do not even realize how much self-destruction we’re causing.”

      Alice describes her coping mechanism—throwing herself into caring for orphaned elephants at Msali—as both a salvation and a form of avoidance. The metaphor of a “tornado” powerfully captures how relentless activity masks unresolved pain.

      3. “People here know I used to do research in the Tuli Block. And that I lived, for a brief while, in the States. But most people don’t connect the academic I used to be to the activist I am now. I have not been Alice Metcalf for a long time.”

      This quote highlights Alice’s deliberate reinvention and dissociation from her past identity after trauma. The phrase “Alice Metcalf is dead” underscores how fully she has buried her former life—until the detective’s call forces a reckoning.

      4. “Reality is frigid; I have to dip one toe at a time and grow accustomed to the shock before wading in further.”

      A vivid metaphor for Alice’s daily struggle to face life after loss. The sensory language (“frigid,” “shock”) emphasizes how her grief has made ordinary existence painfully overwhelming.

      5. “‘Ms. Metcalf,’ the detective says, ‘we’ve found the body of your daughter.’”

      The chapter’s climactic line—a brutal revelation that shatters Alice’s fragile equilibrium. The cold, formal phrasing contrasts starkly with the emotional weight of the news, marking a turning point where her past can no longer be avoided.

    Quotes

    1. “I lost two babies, you know. One whom I knew and loved, and one I never met. I knew before I ran from the hospital that I had miscarried.”

    This opening line establishes Alice’s profound grief and trauma, revealing the dual loss that haunts her—both the daughter she raised (Jenna) and the unborn child she miscarried. It frames her emotional state and the chapter’s exploration of motherhood and absence.

    2. “Now I have more than a hundred babies who consume every waking moment of my life. I have become one of those brittle, busy people who emerge from suffering like a tornado, turning so fast that we do not even realize how much self-destruction we’re causing.”

    Alice describes her coping mechanism—throwing herself into caring for orphaned elephants at Msali—as both a salvation and a form of avoidance. The metaphor of a “tornado” powerfully captures how relentless activity masks unresolved pain.

    3. “People here know I used to do research in the Tuli Block. And that I lived, for a brief while, in the States. But most people don’t connect the academic I used to be to the activist I am now. I have not been Alice Metcalf for a long time.”

    This quote highlights Alice’s deliberate reinvention and dissociation from her past identity after trauma. The phrase “Alice Metcalf is dead” underscores how fully she has buried her former life—until the detective’s call forces a reckoning.

    4. “Reality is frigid; I have to dip one toe at a time and grow accustomed to the shock before wading in further.”

    A vivid metaphor for Alice’s daily struggle to face life after loss. The sensory language (“frigid,” “shock”) emphasizes how her grief has made ordinary existence painfully overwhelming.

    5. “‘Ms. Metcalf,’ the detective says, ‘we’ve found the body of your daughter.’”

    The chapter’s climactic line—a brutal revelation that shatters Alice’s fragile equilibrium. The cold, formal phrasing contrasts starkly with the emotional weight of the news, marking a turning point where her past can no longer be avoided.

    FAQs

    1. How does Alice cope with her personal losses, and what does this reveal about her character?

    Answer:
    Alice copes with her profound losses (her two babies and her past identity) by immersing herself in work at the Msali Elephant Orphanage, becoming a “brittle, busy” person who avoids stillness. She describes herself as emerging “like a tornado,” suggesting her grief manifests in relentless activity to avoid introspection. This reveals her resilience but also self-destructive tendencies—she works until exhaustion to escape dreams and memories. Her admission that “the worst part of my day is when it is over” underscores her reliance on distraction to numb pain, painting her as both compassionate (toward the elephants) and deeply wounded.

    2. Analyze the significance of the wooden club from Maura and its breaking. What might this symbolize?

    Answer:
    The club, a remnant of Maura the elephant’s “artwork,” represents Alice’s last tangible connection to her past life in the U.S. and her work with elephants. Its delicate bark patterns mirror the fragility of her suppressed memories. When it breaks “into two clean halves” just before the detective’s call, it symbolizes the shattering of Alice’s carefully constructed anonymity and the inevitability of confronting her past. The timing suggests fate intervening—the physical break mirrors the emotional rupture about to occur as her daughter’s death is revealed, forcing Alice to reckon with buried trauma.

    3. How does the chapter portray the theme of reinvention versus identity?

    Answer:
    Alice actively rejects her former identity (“I have not been Alice Metcalf for a long time”) and declares her past self “dead,” illustrating reinvention as survival. However, her lingering actions—like the “drunken Google search” about Gideon or keeping Maura’s club—betray an unresolved tension between reinvention and attachment. Her work with elephants mirrors this duality: she channels grief into caregiving but avoids human connections. The detective’s call shatters this fragile balance, implying reinvention is unsustainable when core truths (like Jenna’s fate) remain unaddressed. The chapter critiques reinvention as both protective and isolating.

    4. Why might the author choose to reveal Gideon’s fate through Alice’s brief recollection?

    Answer:
    Gideon’s death in Iraq, revealed obliquely through Alice’s search, serves multiple narrative purposes. First, it underscores the permanence of her past losses—like Thomas’s institutionalization, Gideon’s death closes a door to reconciliation. Second, his Medal of Honor contrasts with Alice’s self-perception as a fugitive, highlighting themes of guilt and redemption. The brevity of this detail reflects Alice’s emotional detachment, yet its inclusion shows she still cares enough to research him. This economical storytelling also builds tension, as readers wonder if Alice’s fate will similarly be reduced to a tragic footnote.

    5. How does the chapter’s ending create suspense, and what literary devices are employed?

    Answer:
    The cliffhanger ending—the detective’s revelation about Jenna’s body—creates suspense through dramatic irony (readers know Alice assumed she was being hunted, not informed) and abrupt tonal shift. The phone call interrupts the quiet introspection of the scene, mirroring life’s unpredictability. Devices like foreshadowing (the breaking club) and juxtaposition (calm before the call) heighten tension. The detective’s formal tone (“with all due respect”) contrasts with Alice’s internal panic, emphasizing the collision of her hidden past with present reality. This propels readers into the next chapter, desperate to know how Alice will react.

    Note