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Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shutter Island, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Illness and Delusion
Conspiracy and Paranoia
Guilt and Grief
Violence and War
Isolation
Summary
Analysis
Teddy and Chuck meet Dr. Cawley in Ward B. Immediately, Teddy notices Dr. Cawley looks like he did not get much sleep. When Teddy brings up their previous conversation with Dr. Naehring, Dr. Cawley apologizes for his colleague’s behavior. He insists that Dr. Naehring is a genius but knows that he lacks tact. Teddy tells Dr. Cawley that he does not appreciate being psychoanalyzed and expects it will not happen again.
Dr. Cawley’s lack of sleep implies Teddy’s threats might have worked. Alternatively, if he is involved in a conspiracy, he might have stayed up late in an attempt to keep it hidden. Dr. Cawley never looks healthy or fully comfortable whenever Teddy talks to him, so this is not too far out of the ordinary.
Themes
Their conversation about psychoanalysis leads Dr. Cawley to explain the current debates in psychology. He says that psychologists fall into two sections: the old school and the new school. Essentially, the old school believes the best treatment for people like those housed on Shutter Island is surgery, including procedures such as a lobotomy. Meanwhile, the new school believes in the power of medication, especially a new drug called lithium.
A lobotomy is a procedure where a surgeon removes part of a person’s brain. Lobotomies pacify whomever they are performed on, while also making them apathetic and largely dead to the world. Meanwhile, lithium, when given in strong enough doses, does something similar. However, lithium is a less permanent treatment option.
Themes
Teddy asks Dr. Cawley which theory he believes in. Dr. Cawley responds that he prefers talk therapy whenever possible. He thinks most psychologists are too quick to resort to solutions like medication and surgery. He believes even extreme cases might have some hope without such radical measures. Teddy and Chuck both imply that they do not agree with Dr. Cawley’s assessment.
Dr. Cawley’s preferences sound the most humane and are certainly the least invasive. However, his preferred treatments are hard to square with whatever secrets he is hiding. Meanwhile, Teddy and Chuck remain largely unempathetic toward the patients at Ashecliffe.
Themes
Teddy turns the conversation toward Rachel’s note. He asks Dr. Cawley if the number 13 has any significance to Rachel. Dr. Cawley says it is a number schizophrenics often cling to because they tend to be superstitious. Teddy points out that there are several lines of numbers in Rachel’s note, all of which add up to 13. He also points out that there are 13 letters in Rachel’s full name. Teddy thinks the note represents Rachel and her children. However, there is one line of the note he does not understand, and he wonders if it could refer to someone else. Teddy’s code-breaking skills impress Dr. Cawley and Chuck.
Indeed, Teddy’s code-breaking skills are impressive, as he manages to decipher Rachel’s delusional logic with little outside help. The line of the note Teddy does not understand, which he thinks could refer to someone else, evokes Laeddis. After all, Teddy’s dream suggested Laeddis and Rachel are linked somehow, and while dreams might not be the most trustworthy evidence, they aren’t always totally illogical.
Themes
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Dr. Cawley asks Teddy if he still intends to leave the island. Teddy lies and says he plans to depart as soon as the storm subsides. Then, Teddy asks Dr. Cawley if he thinks Rachel is still out in the storm. Dr. Cawley says he does not think it is possible. However, when Teddy asks where else she could possibly be, Dr. Cawley can only shrug.
Again, Dr. Cawley hints that he knows more about what is going on than he wishes to divulge. It is a strange tactic—if he does know what is going on, why would he hint at it so heavily? It is as if he is trying to make Teddy and Chuck suspicious.
Themes
Teddy holds up his copy of Rachel’s note and suggests she could have left more of them somewhere. Dr. Cawley is skeptical of the idea and tells Teddy he and Chuck must pursue it on their own because he has a day full of meetings. However, he did make sure to schedule time for Teddy and Chuck to speak with the patients who were part of Rachel’s group therapy session the night she disappeared. Before Dr. Cawley leaves, Teddy asks him again for Dr. Sheehan’s file. However, Dr. Cawley refuses to give it to him.
Again, Dr. Cawley’s behavior suggests he is uninterested in helping Teddy and Chuck. His offer to allow them to interview other patients is unsurprising because he knows how unreliable their testimony will be. After all, his patients are severely delusional; nothing they say will hold up in a court of law and it is unlikely to be useful for Teddy and Chuck.
Themes
When Dr. Cawley leaves, Chuck asks Teddy if he thinks the doctor understands the part of the code they cannot figure out. Teddy thinks he can but does not want to admit it. The part of the code Teddy does not understand revolves around the number 67, so Chuck and Teddy take a moment to theorize about what it could mean. Teddy suggests it could be the number of patients at the facility. They have not seen 67 people yet, but they know Dr. Cawley, and his team are hiding more patients from them in the fort.
If Rachel wrote the code, it is unclear how she would know how many patients are being held on Shutter Island. After all, there are multiple wards, one of which she has no access to. In addition to the fort, there is also the lighthouse, which may hold even more patients. If this is the case, it would explain the armed guards. Regardless, Teddy and Chuck do not appear to be close to solving the mystery.
Themes
Teddy and Chuck go to the cafeteria to conduct interviews with the patients in Rachel’s group therapy session. The first man Teddy interviews, Ken, does not tell him anything useful. Teddy cannot get him to focus or answer any of his questions. His next interview goes slightly better. The patient’s name is Peter, and he is on the island because he murdered his father’s nurse. Peter is in denial about what he did, though he cannot stop talking about it in a roundabout way. Without trying, Teddy quickly ascertains that Peter murdered the nurse out of sexual frustration. Teddy tries to focus on the interview, but all he can think about is hurting Peter because of what he did to the nurse.
Unsurprisingly, the first two interviews do not go well. The patients are obsessed with themselves and the delusional worlds they have built up. Because of this, they have little to no interest in Teddy’s questions about Rachel, nor do they care what happened to her. The interview with Peter only makes Teddy less sympathetic to the patients at Ashecliffe. Like Rachel, Peter shows no remorse because he will not even acknowledge what he did. He treats his crime the same way Teddy treats his grief.
Themes
Peter also talks to Teddy about the human mind. Peter is scared of his own mind because he worries that it controls him rather than him controlling it. He worries that his mind will stop working one day, and the idea frightens him more than anything else. While talking to Peter, Teddy feels a migraine coming on.
Teddy’s migraine is an example of the phenomenon Peter is talking about. Teddy wants to be in control of the moment, but some other part of his consciousness is forcing him to bend to its will.
Themes
He starts asking questions about Rachel’s disappearance, hoping Peter will have something useful to say. Peter answers Teddy’s questions, but he is more interested in one of the nurses who was present at the meeting than in Rachel herself. In particular, it seems like Peter is sexually attracted to the nurse but feels guilt and shame over his feelings. Instead of acknowledging his feelings, he calls the nurse “trash” and “dirty.” Meanwhile, the only thing he has to say about Rachel is that she was quiet during the therapy session, and he thinks the state should execute her for killing her children.
Peter is as hypocritical as someone can be, but he has no idea. His crime is every bit as heinous and unforgivable as Rachel’s but, because he does not acknowledge it, he feels free to cast judgement on Rachel in a way he would never do on himself. Presumably Rachel, who is also in denial, would do the same thing back to Peter. It is a cruel irony that these people would wish death upon themselves if they were able to speak objectively.
Themes
Before Peter leaves, Teddy asks him if he knows a patient with the name Andrew Laeddis. Peter says he does not but that someone with that name could be in Ward C. According to Peter, the people in Ward A do not see the people in Ward C because the latter are “nuts.” Teddy thanks Peter for his help and then dismisses him.
It is an ironic and ominous sign that Peter thinks the people in Ward C are “nuts.” Of course, he is being hypocritical again, but there may be some truth to his words. After all, there must be some reason the people in Ward C are not allowed to mix with those in Wards A and B.
Themes
Teddy and Chuck interview a few more patients who are completely delusional and of no help whatsoever. Then, they interview a patient named Bridget, who is strikingly normal. Although Teddy’s notes say she murdered her husband with an ax, nothing about Bridget would suggest she is mentally ill. She talks coherently, has a sense of humor, and seems highly intelligent. She admits to Teddy and Chuck that she probably deserves to be locked up and is not sure she would want to return to normal society anyway. She also says she only killed her husband because he repeatedly beat her and cheated on her.
Bridget is the only patient at Ashecliffe who acknowledges what she has done and appears to have made peace with it. Assuming she is telling the truth, her case is also arguably less severe than the others Teddy has heard. Given the nature of the crime and her disposition, Bridget seems normal. As such, she is also Teddy’s first opportunity to talk to someone at Ashecliffe who is not under the command of Dr. Cawley.
Themes
Teddy asks Bridget questions about Rachel, all of which she answers. However, Teddy gets the sense that someone coached her. Her answers sound like carbon copies of the ones Dr. Cawley gave him, and a look in her eyes tells Teddy she knows more than what she is letting on. As such, Teddy does not get any new information from Bridget regarding Rachel’s disappearance.
If Teddy is correct and Dr. Cawley coached Bridget, then it stands to reason that she has something to gain by lying to Teddy. Presumably Dr. Cawley has either promised her something or threatened her safety. Otherwise, her reticence makes no sense given the facts of the case as Teddy understands them.
Themes
Teddy also asks Bridget about Dr. Sheehan and whether he has ever acted inappropriately. This question seems to disturb Bridget for some inexplicable reason, and she looks at Chuck as if to ask for help. However, Chuck makes her answer the question herself. Ultimately, she says that Dr. Sheehan is a good doctor who always treats his patients with the respect they deserve. Additionally, Teddy asks her if she knows someone named Andrew Laeddis. Bridget says she does not, but, once again, Teddy does not believe her.
Teddy’s question is meant to imply sexual impropriety between Dr. Sheehan and his patients. Bridget’s reaction suggests that something about Teddy’s question is disturbing for her. Her glance at Chuck is curious and, indeed, it is notable to the overall narrative, though the reason why will remain unclear until the story’s closing chapters. Also, Chuck is presumably confused about why Teddy is asking about Laeddis, as the name did not come up previously.
Themes
During the interview, Bridget asks Chuck if he will get her some water. Chuck walks across the room and fills up a cup. As he does so, he closely monitors Bridget and Teddy. He suspects Bridget is telling Teddy something she does not want Chuck to know.
If Chuck is reading the situation correctly, it appears Bridget trusts Teddy with information she will not reveal to him. Perhaps it relates to Dr. Sheehan or Andrew Laeddis, two subjects Teddy was particularly interested in, but it is hard to know for sure because Lehane focalizes the passage through Chuck.
Themes
After they finish interviewing patients, Chuck asks Teddy why he is asking about someone named Andrew Laeddis. At first, Teddy is unsure if he trusts Chuck enough to tell him. However, Chuck assures him he will keep his secrets. Realizing he needs all the help he can get, Teddy tells Chuck the truth: he requested to come to Shutter Island because he knows Dr. Cawley and his team are holding Andrew Laeddis. When Chuck asks why Andrew Laeddis is so important, Teddy tells him that Andrew is a pyromaniac who is responsible for Dolores’s death.
The revelation at the end of this chapter reframes the entire narrative and makes the reader question Teddy and his motivations. Up to this point, he has seemed like a relatively reliable character—sure, he is flawed, but he also appeared honest. Now, it appears Teddy is as much of an enigma as everyone else in the story, complete with his own hidden motivations and agendas.
Themes
