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 41: Serenity
byPicoult, Jodi
The chapter “Serenity” follows the protagonist’s unsettling realization that the people she has been interacting with—Virgil and Jenna—may actually be spirits. The narrative begins with her searching for a fallen tooth in a laboratory, where she learns that Tallulah, an employee she inquired about, had died months earlier. This discovery triggers her growing suspicion about the nature of her companions, especially when she recalls moments where others seemed unaware of Virgil and Jenna’s presence. Her confusion deepens as she attempts to verify their existence through phone records and a return visit to a diner, only to be met with disbelief from the waitress.
The protagonist’s investigation leads her to the Boone Town Office, where she reviews death certificates that confirm Virgil’s suicide and Nevvie Ruehl’s accidental death at an elephant sanctuary. Notably, Jenna’s death certificate is absent, but the discovery of the tooth suggests her fate. The documents also reveal that Alice Metcalf, Jenna’s mother, was likely alive after the incident, explaining her absence from communication. The protagonist grapples with the implications of these findings, realizing that her interactions with Virgil and Jenna were perceived by others as delusional or one-sided conversations.
As she reflects on past encounters, the protagonist pieces together clues that others could not see or hear Virgil and Jenna. From the airline passenger who ignored her to the nurses at Hartwick House who only addressed her, the evidence mounts that her companions were not physically present. Even her first meeting with Jenna, which caused a client to flee, now makes sense in light of this revelation. The chapter captures her dawning awareness of the supernatural nature of her experiences, leaving her emotionally shaken and directionless.
The chapter concludes with the protagonist driving aimlessly, overwhelmed by the truth. She recalls moments that now seem like clear signs of Virgil and Jenna’s ghostly presence, such as their ability to manipulate energy or remain unseen by others. The realization that she has been communicating with spirits forces her to question her sanity, as evidenced by the waitress’s mental health services card. The chapter ends on a note of unresolved tension, as the protagonist arrives at Virgil’s office building, symbolizing her continued search for answers amidst the chaos of her newfound reality.
FAQs
1. What key realization does the protagonist have about Virgil and Jenna in this chapter, and what evidence supports this conclusion?
Answer:
The protagonist realizes that Virgil and Jenna are actually spirits or ghosts rather than living people. This is supported by several pieces of evidence: the waitress at the diner insists the protagonist was alone, the phone number Jenna called from is out of service, and the protagonist finds death certificates confirming Virgil died in a car accident (ruled a suicide) and that Jenna has been missing since childhood. Additionally, other characters (like the airline passenger and Mrs. Langham) only interact with the protagonist, not Virgil or Jenna, suggesting they were never physically present.2. How does the discovery of Tallulah’s death contribute to the protagonist’s understanding of the events unfolding around her?
Answer:
Tallulah’s death confirms the protagonist’s growing suspicion that she is interacting with spirits. When the lab employee mentions Tallulah died three months prior, it suggests the “person” who let the protagonist into the lab was Tallulah’s ghost. This moment is pivotal because it forces the protagonist to question the nature of all her recent interactions—particularly with Virgil and Jenna—and consider that she may be communicating with earthbound spirits rather than living beings.3. Analyze the significance of the waitress handing the protagonist a mental health services business card. What does this reveal about perception versus reality in the chapter?
Answer:
The waitress’s action highlights the stark contrast between the protagonist’s perceived reality (where Virgil and Jenna are physically present) and the actual reality (where she appears to be alone and hallucinating). To outsiders, the protagonist’s behavior seems erratic or mentally unstable, as she insists on the existence of people no one else can see. This moment underscores the chapter’s central tension: the protagonist’s supernatural experiences are indistinguishable from delusion to an outside observer, blurring the line between spiritual sensitivity and mental illness.4. What does the absence of Alice Metcalf’s death certificate imply about her fate, and how does this change the protagonist’s investigation?
Answer:
The lack of a death certificate for Alice Metcalf suggests she is still alive, as her body was never found. This revelation shifts the protagonist’s investigation because it means Alice could theoretically still be contacted—unlike Virgil and Jenna, who are confirmed deceased. It also raises new questions: if Alice is alive, why has she remained hidden for so long? The discovery reframes the mystery, turning the focus from uncovering past tragedies to potentially finding a living person who may hold answers.
Quotes
1. “One minute I am standing in a room at a private laboratory with three other people, and the next, I’m alone in that same room, on my hands and knees looking for a tooth that has fallen.”
This opening line sets the surreal, disorienting tone of the chapter, highlighting the protagonist’s sudden realization that the people she thought were physically present may have been spirits all along.
2. “I can’t tell who is alive and who isn’t, so I look down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact.”
This quote captures the protagonist’s profound existential crisis as she questions her perception of reality, unable to distinguish between the living and the dead after her shocking discoveries.
3. “I read Nevvie Ruehl’s death certificate so many times I think I might have memorized it… IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF DEATH: (A) Blunt force trauma (B) DUE TO: Trampling by elephant”
This pivotal moment reveals the brutal truth about Nevvie’s death, with the clinical language of the death certificate starkly contrasting with the violent nature of the event, underscoring the chapter’s theme of uncovering hidden truths.
4. “Alice Metcalf, most likely, is still alive.”
This simple yet powerful conclusion represents the chapter’s major revelation, turning the protagonist’s (and reader’s) assumptions upside down and setting up new narrative possibilities.
5. “I consider the time we all visited Thomas at Hartwick House—how the patients could easily see Jenna and Virgil, but the nurses and orderlies had spoken only to me.”
This reflection demonstrates the protagonist piecing together clues about her companions’ true nature, showing how different groups of people perceived (or didn’t perceive) the same individuals.