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Chapter 12
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Breaking Night, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Willpower and Independence
Poverty
Drugs and Addiction
Family
Sex and Power
Summary
Analysis
Liz sits in a conference center in Argentina, listening to a man speak. The man is the Dalai Lama.
The epilogue takes place several years after the previous chapter, and shows that Liz has been doing well, given that she’s now meeting with some of the world’s most influential people.
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The Dalai Lama concludes his speech, and begins to take questions from his audience, made up mostly of CEOs and other powerful businesspeople. Liz asks a question—but before she explains what this question is, she offers “a little explanation of how that day came to be.”
The epilogue begins and ends with Liz’s question to the Dalai Lama, so that the epilogue comes “full circle” in a satisfying way.
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In the last few years, Liz’s life has changed in almost every way. She’s been the subject of magazine articles and a TV movie, and she’s received countless awards. She’s also graduated from Harvard in 2009.
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During Liz’s time in college, Daddy quits drugs, but HIV continues to ravage his body. One day freshman year, Liz gets a call from New York and rushes back home to be with her father. The call turns out to be a false alarm, and Daddy survives. However, death is a “constant possibility” for him. Liz spends more time with her father during her college years than she has previously, even though she’s working hard and traveling internationally to give motivational speeches.
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Today, Sam is happily married and living in Wisconsin. Lisa is a college graduate and works as a schoolteacher for autistic kids. Bobby is studying to be a nurse; he’s the father of two children. Liz is close with Lisa and with her Bronx friends.
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Daddy visits Liz at Harvard and leaves a card for her. The card reads, “Lizzy, I left my dreams behind a long time ago, but I know now that they are safe with you. Thank you for making us a family again.” After graduating from college, Liz celebrates with her friends and family.
Liz’s question for the Dalai Lama is simple: “Your Holiness, you inspire so many people, but what inspires you?” He replies, “I don’t know, I am just a simple monk.” Liz is a little confused by this answer, and she’s not alone. Some of the other guests interpret the Dalai Lama’s reply as an expression of Zen wisdom, while others just say he didn’t understand the question. Liz realizes that the Dalai Lama’s reply can be interpreted in almost any way: it has whatever meaning the audience members give it.
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Liz prepares to give her own speech in the same conference center. As she steps out onto the stage to speak to executives from around the world, she draws a conclusion inspired by the Dalai Lama: “Homeless person or business person, doctor or teacher, whatever your background may be, the same holds true for each of us: life takes on the meaning that you give it.”
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