Atmosphere: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

In June of 1981, Joan and the rest of the astronaut candidates are planning to take a work trip to Mississippi and stop in New Orleans on the way. Going on the trip means that Joan will miss the weekend with Frances. When Joan calls to tell Barbara that, Barbara says she feels like she doesn’t know Joan anymore and that Frances is struggling. Joan pushes back, saying that her work is important to her. She then promises to see Frances on Tuesday when she’s back.

In New Orleans, Joan and Vanessa go shopping with Lydia and Donna. Joan and Vanessa don’t want to go, but they also don’t want to leave Donna alone with Lydia. While shopping, Joan tries on a dress. Donna and Lydia compliment her and tell her she has to buy it. Joan is reluctant because the dress is expensive, but after Vanessa compliments Joan, Joan buys the dress.

Joan, Vanessa, Lydia, and Donna then meet up with Hank, Griff, and other astronaut candidates. After drinking at a bar, the group heads to a strip club. People remark that Joan will never go in, but Joan does. When Joan is inside, she continues drinking, and she begins to feel like something about sex and attraction finally makes sense to her. One of the dancers approaches Joan, and Joan feels like she wants to move like the woman and be just like her. By the time Joan leaves, she’s drunk.

Griff walks with Joan to get a taxi, and as they walk, Joan wonders why she can’t fall in love with him. It would make things so easy, she thinks. She asks Griff to kiss her, but Griff says that he doesn’t want to kiss Joan when she’s drunk. Joan then pulls Griff to her and kisses him, and Griff kisses her back. But Joan is repulsed by the kiss and almost immediately pushes Griff away. She says that she doesn’t think there’s a romantic connection between them. She apologizes and says that things are complicated. Griff says it’s okay and that he had thought that “she might be” complicated. Joan doesn’t know what he means.

The next morning, Joan wakes up hungover. She finds her bed covered in sketches she doesn’t remember doing the night before. All of the sketches are of one of the dancers from last night. Someone then knocks on the door. When Joan answers it, she sees Vanessa. Vanessa says that Joan is late for the bus and starts to help Joan get ready. As Joan is getting ready, she says that she kissed Griff the night before and didn’t like it. Vanessa says she’s not surprised that Joan didn’t like kissing Griff. Vanessa adds that it seemed like Joan liked the club last night.

Vanessa and Joan then begin to talk about something without saying it directly. Vanessa asks if Joan knows who she is, and Joan says she wonders if Vanessa knows who she is. Vanessa says she knows exactly who she is. And she says that if Joan is honest with herself, she knows who Vanessa is, too. Joan feels like by dancing around the subject they’re talking about, they’re going “too close to the sun.” Vanessa then finds the sketches that Joan did the night before, and Vanessa says that she knows exactly who Joan is, too. Joan is nervous, but she also knows that she is safe with Vanessa.

The next weekend, Joan goes to pick up Frances. When Joan arrives late at Barbara’s apartment, Joan finds Frances waiting outside. Frances says that Joan went to pick up someone named Steve and told Frances to wait outside. Joan feels like what Barbara did was grossly irresponsible. Joan and Frances then go out for breakfast and spend the day together. At night, when Joan brings Frances back home, Joan confronts Barbara about leaving Frances alone outside earlier in the day. Barbara says that she knows Joan thinks she (Barbara) is a bad mother, and Joan responds that that isn’t true. Joan then backs off and apologizes for saying anything.