Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humans vs. Animals
Family, Tradition, and the Past
Absence, Silence, and Denial
Science, Knowledge, and Experiments
Normalcy vs. Deviance
Summary
Analysis
In 2011, the National Institute of Health suspends “all new grants for biomedical and behavior studies on chimpanzees.” Rosemary celebrates with champagne, giving Fern a tiny sip. Rosemary notes that the power of Fern’s long-term memory is still unclear. Yet while the scientific research on chimp memory is inconclusive, Rosemary believes that Fern does still know who Rosemary and her mother are.
The news about the National Institute of Health indicates that scientific research is indeed moving in a more ethical direction. While the pace of this change is too slow for Lowell and other members of the Animal Liberation Front, Rosemary feels that it is still cause for celebration.
Themes
