Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Meaning
Love and Vulnerability
Freedom
Art, Creativity, and Expression
Wonder and Knowledge
Summary
Analysis
Villon-sur-Sarthe, France. July 29, 1714. Adeline wants to be a tree. That way, she could “grow wild and deep, [and] belong to no one,” but this isn’t what happens. When Adeline is 23, Pauline, the wife of a village man named Roger, dies suddenly, leaving Roger with three small children to care for on his own. Adeline is chosen to become Roger’s wife even though she doesn’t love or like him. Adeline’s mother calls this Adeline’s “duty.” Estele says nothing, but Adeline knows Estele thinks it’s unfair. Adeline feels like a tree that’s been chopped down with an ax. She prays to the gods all the time now, and she’s dropped nearly everything she owns into the river as tribute. But so far, nobody has answered her prayers.
Addie’s reason for wanting to be a tree—so she could “grow wild and deep, [and] being to no one”—spells out what trees mean to Addie, as well as their broader symbolism throughout the book as a whole: trees symbolize freedom and personal growth. Addie would rather be a tree because, as a woman, society deprives her of both these things. With Addie’s impending marriage to Roger, the possibility that Addie can have the adventurous life she craves becomes even slimmer.
Themes
The next morning, Adeline rises before dawn and heads to the river. She presses her favorite pencil into the earth and begs the gods to help her. Back at the house, Adeline’s mother scolds Adeline, whose fingernails are thick with grime. Then she tells Adeline that Adeline won’t “be so restless” after she has Roger’s children to take care of. Adeline thinks about Isabelle, who now has two boys to care for. Adeline and Isabelle “used to dream together,” but now, Isabelle is too tired and busy to dream.
Unlike Estele, who values freedom and nature, Adeline’s mother feels that Adeline’s “restless” attitude is a negative thing—a personality flaw she needs to fix or suppress, preferably through childrearing. But with Adeline’s mournful reflection on Isabelle’s constant state of exhaustion, it’s clear that Adeline feels that the opposite is true: that her independence is something to cultivate and encourage, not suppress.
Themes
The day passes painfully slowly. Later, Adeline’s mother braids her hair, weaving flowers into the braids. Adeline touches the wooden ring around her neck to calm herself. Adeline’s mother notices and tells Adeline she must remove the ring before the ceremony. Adeline’s father arrives. Adeline hears the church bell toll as the sun sets outside. Then, Adeline’s father touches her arm: it’s time to go.
Adeline wears her ring because it reminds her of her father, whom she loves, as well as her pride in her father’s artistry. But her mother’s order that Adeline must remove the ring before her wedding sours this association: now, the wooden ring—and Adeline’s eventual wedding ring—symbolize the men, past and present, who own her.
Themes
Estele arrives, “dressed as if she is in mourning.” And Estele is right to mourn—after Adeline is married, Adeline won’t be able to visit the foreign lands she’s dreamed of seeing. Her whole life will be here, in Villon. Suddenly, Adeline has an idea. She says that she’s forgotten a gift she made for her new husband back at the house. Adeline’s mother is pleased, but Adeline’s father and Estele look suspicious. Adeline says she has to go back to get the gift. Reluctantly, Adeline’s father lets her go but says to hurry.
Typically, people who attend weddings dress festively, as weddings are usually celebratory occasions. But that Estele arrives “dressed as if she is in mourning” suggests that Adeline’s wedding is not something worth celebrating. Instead, it’s an occasion of “mourning” because it marks the end of what little freedom and independence Adeline has. Finally, Adeline’s father and Estele are likely right to be suspicious of Adeline, who clearly is lying about the present. The reader doesn’t yet know what Adeline really plans to do, but given the novel’s opening scene (Adeline running into the woods, away from the wedding party), it’s reasonable to guess that she’s going to try to escape.
Themes
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Before Adeline can change her mind, she takes off running, clutching the wooden ring as she bounds through the field. When Adeline reaches the forest, she kneels into the earth and pleads with the gods to help her. She doesn’t notice that the sun has set.
This is where the novel began—with Adeline “running for her life” into the woods. Note the detail that Adeline continues to pray to the gods—even after the sun sets. Estele warned Adeline to “never pray to the gods that answer after dark,” so the reader can assume that danger lies ahead for Adeline.
Themes
