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Chapter 39
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Midnight Library, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Regret, Depression, and Suicide
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
Possibility and Perseverance
Embracing Imperfection
Summary
Analysis
One day, Nora, Ash, and Molly take a train into London to visit Joe and his husband Ewan. Nora had been glad to learn that her brother had married the same man in this life as he had in her Olympic life; the two of them had met at a cross-training class at the gym. The conversation over dinner is light and jovial, but Nora can’t help but ask Joe if he’s still angry with her for leaving The Labyrinths. To Nora’s relief, the Joe in this life doesn’t hold onto any bitterness about it, and he apologizes for not taking her panic attacks seriously; Ewan’s panic attacks had made him realize just how real mental health issues are. Nora tells Joe she thinks he’s happier in this timeline than in the one where they stayed in the band. He doesn’t believe her, but he still seems very content with his life.
It's clear from their interaction that Nora still cares deeply about Joe’s opinion of her, but at this point, her experiences have given her enough confidence to give him advice about his life, while still feeling relieved that the two of them are on good terms. Joe’s mild longing for a different possible version of his life reminds Nora of herself. She had also assumed that a more wildly successful life was a better one, but she realizes that both she and her brother would benefit from embracing their own lives (including the flaws) and appreciating what they already have.
Active
Themes
As Nora spends more and more time in this reality, she begins to remember things about her new life that she hadn’t known before. While she still has a few noticeable gaps in her knowledge, it’s becoming easier to meld into this life and remember things she should have already known. She also continues to grow closer to Molly. As Nora watches Molly ride a tricycle one morning, the front wheel of the tricycle slips and Molly hits her head on a rock. Despite the bleeding, Molly tries to stop herself from crying and keep a brave composure as her mother nurses the wound.
These moments reinforce and strengthen what Nora has already been feeling about this new life. Just as Mrs. Elm had told her, Nora is beginning to seamlessly become a part of this reality and forget her old life and the Midnight Library, as she seems content to stay here. But her ever-growing love of Molly reminds her that she hasn’t fully forgotten her old life yet. Molly’s bravery touches and inspires Nora, but also makes her wish that she really was the girl’s mother.
Active
Themes
Nora feels another overwhelming swell of love within her, but she also feels like a fraud who doesn’t truly belong in this life. Although she loves Molly and Ash deeply, she knows deep down that this isn’t really her life, no matter how much she tries to forget how she got here. Later that day, after tending to Molly’s wound, Nora gets a strange idea while staring at a mahogany chess set in the living room. She tells Ash she’s visiting an old friend in Bedford, and that she’ll be back home in a few hours.
