Shutter Island: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Dr. Cawley and Dr. Naehring lead Teddy and Chuck to Rachel’s room. They open the door and tell Rachel she has a visitor. When Teddy looks at Rachel, he notices she looks completely unscathed. Teddy asks Rachel where she was the day before and Rachel says she has not gone anywhere. She asks Teddy who he is and references Jim—her former husband—as well as her children. Teddy plays along with her fantasy and pretends to be a concerned citizen who heard someone was spreading Communist propaganda. He asks Rachel if she has heard anything about it and urges her to protect her children. Rachel insists she is staunchly anti-Communist and would never allow such materials in her home.

Teddy tells Rachel he fought in the war, and she says that Jim did too. Teddy asks Rachel again if she saw anyone who could have been distributing Communist literature yesterday; he tells her it is imperative that he know if she ran into anyone suspicious. Rachel says she does not think so but offers to walk Teddy through her day. Rachel tells him she took her children for a swim in the lake. She says that while there, she went for a swim, skipped some stones, and built sandcastles. Teddy asks her how many stones she skipped. Rachel responds with: “Thirteen.”

Then, Rachel tells Teddy that she thought about him while on the beach. When Teddy asks why, she responds, “Because you’re my Jim, silly.” Again, Teddy plays along with her fantasy and pretends to be Jim. Rachel pats her bed to suggest Teddy should sit next to her, which he does. Up close, Teddy feels she looks different from the woman he saw in the photograph, though she is still quite beautiful.

Rachel flirts with Teddy, which he enjoys. Her presence reminds him of Dolores. Eventually, Teddy returns to his questioning and asks Dolores what she did after spending time at the beach. Rachel tells Teddy that he already knows the answer to his questions. When Teddy insists he does not, Rachel reminds him they had sex. 

Then, Teddy asks Rachel what else she did yesterday. Suddenly, Rachel’s eyes grow distant, and she appears upset. She tells Teddy—who she still calls Jim—that she buried his dog tags because he died in the war and no one recovered his body. Rachel starts screaming at Teddy because she realizes he is not Jim. Her language is sexually explicit, and she calls Teddy a rapist. When it is clear the situation has gotten out of hand, orderlies come to restrain Rachel and send Teddy away.

Dr. Cawley takes Teddy to his office. Teddy asks Dr. Cawley where he found Rachel. Dr. Cawley says she was skipping stones near the lighthouse. As Dr. Cawley fixes himself a drink, Teddy begins experiencing a migraine. When Dr. Cawley turns around, he notices Teddy is exceptionally pale and asks him what is wrong. Teddy explains his migraines to Dr. Cawley, who then offers him water and two yellow pills.

A voice in Teddy’s head tells him he should not take the pills. However, his migraine is so intense that he has difficulty resisting. Dr. Cawley watches Teddy struggle and gets increasingly concerned. Eventually, Teddy cannot take the pain anymore, and he swallows the pills with the water. Dr. Cawley promises Teddy he will feel better soon.

Just as Teddy takes the pills, Chuck enters the room. Dr. Cawley asks Chuck to help him carry Teddy to a small room next to Dr. Cawley’s office, where he can take a nap. As Dr. Cawley puts Teddy into the room, Teddy notices two black smudges on his thumbs. He thinks it looks like shoe polish and wonders how he managed to get it on his fingers.