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Visitation: Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in NW, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class Identity and Social Mobility
Geography and Human Connection
Sex and Relationships
Altruism
Summary
Analysis
Michel and Leah shop at a big chain supermarket, where they never buy fancy, ethical things—Michel says because they can’t afford it, but Leah says because they just don’t bother to be ethical. As they’re walking, Leah sees a boy who she thinks she saw with Shar earlier making a call in a phone box. She mentions it to Michel, then instantly regrets it. She’s pretty sure this new boy isn’t Nathan but still thinks he might have been with Shar earlier—or perhaps not. His clothes look familiar, but Leah thinks a lot of young men in the city wear similar “uniform” of low jeans and a hooded top. He seems to be a “boy,” even though it’s possible he’s the same age as Michel.
Leah’s problem with buying groceries is that she’s never had the time to figure out what’s ethical. This relates to what goes on to happen later in this passage, as Leah has no idea what the ethical course of action is. Leah’s inability to tell whether the boy in the phone box is Nathan suggests how much people like Nathan and Shar have become “others” to her, something she can’t understand. The fact that this boy’s clothes become his identity reflects back to the role that a headscarf plays a role in Shar’s identity.
Themes
Michel goes over and accuses the boy in the phone box of threatening Leah (believing that that boy was the anonymous caller from earlier). The boy gets angry and bumps chests with Michel, knocking him down next to Olive. Leah urges both of them to stop. The boy kicks Olive away several yards. Michel threatens to call the police, but his opponent is walking away. Michel continues to shout insults but doesn’t actually seem to want to attack.
Telling Michel the truth about the boy (or at least what Leah thought was the truth in that moment) only leads to violence and even less certainty than before. The innocent bystander Olive is the one who gets most hurt in this situation. Michel’s threats after getting knocked down show how his macho posturing is ultimately an empty gesture.
Themes
