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Summary
Chapter 12
Back in 1986, Jane removes the gag from Alexandra Maplecroft’s mouth, and the woman begins to scream for help. As the other members of the group rush upstairs, Maplecroft begins to loosen herself from her restraints, freeing a hand and punching Jane in the face. As Maplecroft loosens her other limbs, the group enters the room, and Quarter slashes at her with a knife. To the group’s surprise, Maplecroft catches the knife, which is embedded in her hand, and swings it towards Jane, attempting to slash her. Nick then intervenes, punching Maplecroft in the face multiple times. She falls backwards and her head hits the metal edge of the bed, killing her. The group members are horrified, and Jane’s doubts grow, but before she can protest, Quarter is shot in the chest and falls to the floor, dead. Police have surrounded the building and begin to shoot through the windows with rifles. The group members, who have prepared for this scenario with training drills, spring into action, blocking the door and using a ladder to escape from a window to the building next door. They scurry through the dark basement of the adjoining building, which connects to a warehouse through a tunnel, and reach their getaway van.
They travel to their “safe house,” a farmhouse near Chicago, where they are greeted by Clara Bellamy, a retired prima ballerina, and her partner Edwin “Tucker,” a lawyer. Jane and Clara, and acclaimed pianist and ballerina respectively, chat. They learn that they have seen each other perform in the past, and each admires the other’s artistry. Further, Clara intuits that Jane is pregnant, and Jane asks her not to say anything to Nick. When Jane requests cough medicine for Andrew, who remains ill, Clara’s response implies that he is suffering from AIDS, a notion that shocks Jane. The group watches news reports on the murder of Maplecroft and learn that authorities have identified Nick and Andrew but have not yet confirmed whether Jane is an accomplice or a hostage. Further, the news reporter identifies “Quarter” as William Argenis Johnson, a graduate student and father of two, revealing that Nick lied to Jane about Quarter’s identity.
As Nick excitedly plans the next steps of their plan, which includes detonating bombs in Chicago and New York City, Jane argues that Andrew is too sick to participate any further, and she goes upstairs to care for him. There, she sees that he has many of the tell-tale signs of AIDS, including deep purple lesions on his skin. Nick comes up and Jane confronts him for various deceptions, including the fact that he hid Andrew’s diagnosis from her. He retorts that Andrew believes in the mission and that if he is too ill to drive with the group to New York, then Jane must take his place, demanding that she choose between him and Andrew. When she says that she cannot abandon Andrew in his final hours, Nick violently attacks her, revealing that he knows that she is pregnant and intends to induce an involuntary abortion. He strangles her until she loses consciousness.
Chapter 13
In the present, Andy makes her way towards Clara Bellamy in Illinois after tracking down her partner, a lawyer named Edwin Van Ness, online. As she drives, she reflects upon what she learned at Paula Kunde’s house, and surmises that her mother must have been involved in the criminal activity which landed Paula in jail. Laura, however, managed to escape the law and started a new life in Georgia. When she pulls up to Clara’s house, the retired ballerina comes out to meet her. Confused by Clara’s apparent familiarity with her, Andy realizes that Clara is afflicted with dementia, and believes that Andy is a woman named “Jane.” She also refers sadly to a man named “Andrew,” and provides Paula’s full, original name as “Paula Louise Evans.” Searching for Paula online, Andy learns that she was involved in a group called “Army of the Changing World” which assassinated Martin Queller, founder of QuellCorp.
As she reads, she connects various dots and realizes that Clara believes that she is her mother, Jane Queller, who was also involved in the group. Together, Andy and Clara watch a video of Jane playing piano at Carnegie Hall in 1983, and an emotional Andy calls her mother to confront her over these deceptions. As Laura attempts to explain herself, Edwin arrives home, and after realizing that Andy is Laura’s mother, he warns her that they are in danger. He speaks briefly with Laura on the phone before a volley of bullets are fired into the house from a window. Edwin is killed, and as Andy attempts to escape, she realizes that she has been shot in the side of her torso.
Analysis: Chapters 12 & 13
For the first half of Pieces of Her, the relationship between Andy’s story in the present day and the events described in 1986 is unclear and cryptic, though some small hints, such as the name “Laura,” shared by both Laura Juneau and Laura Oliver, point to a connection. These two action-packed chapters close the gap between the two different storylines, finally revealing that Jane Queller is Laura Oliver, that her mysterious past involves her participation in the Army of the Changing World group, and that Andy is likely the baby born of Jane’s relationship to Nick. Laura’s decisions to assume Laura Juneau’s first name and name her daughter “Andrea,” after her deceased brother Andrew, speak to her desire to memorialize some of those who lost their lives in the course of that fateful summer. Other than these names, the only other memento that she has kept of her earlier life is the box containing photographs of the violence she faced at the hands of Nick, which serve her as a visual reminder of his abuse and reinforce her resolve to make a clean break with him.
Read more about Laura’s Polaroids as a symbol in Pieces of Her.
Though Laura has, since that time, abandoned her former identity, the past proves difficult to shake off, threatening to destroy the new life that she has so carefully built for herself. These past experiences have also shaped her in ways that only become apparent in moments of danger and hardship. When Andy is attacked at the diner, for instance, she instinctively uses a technique that she learned in 1968, mirroring the actions of Dr. Alexandra Maplecroft in “catching” the blade in her palm and using it as a weapon. Indeed, many of Laura’s actions can be better understood in light of what is revealed about her past in these chapters. Still, her story speaks to the possibility of growth and change, even if she cannot completely abandon her past. While in 1968 Nick had deliberately attacked Maplecroft even as she was disarmed, killing her brutally, Laura attempts to spare Helsinger’s life in the present day, imploring him not to move after she disarmed him.
Additionally, the events of 1968 further develop the novel’s exploration of the themes of manipulation, abuse, and political extremism. Nick’s murder of Maplecroft is both logistically unwarranted and ethically indefensible, attesting to both his volatile temper but also his willingness to sacrifice others in the name of his goals. Maplecroft’s murder almost shocks Jane into her senses, but ultimately, Nick is quickly able to regain control of Jane and his other followers, a pattern that recurs throughout the novel. Whenever doubts begin to arise in any of the group members, Nick uses tools of manipulation to regain their trust and keep them in line. Even after Jane admits to herself that she does not care about the group’s goals or ideals, she nevertheless concludes that she only needs to trust Nick, and that his opinion is all that matters to her. He alternates unpredictably between kindness and abuse, both praising Jane and belittling her. Even when his plans go awry, as in the death of Maplecroft, he weaponizes Jane’s feelings of guilt, forcing her to feel that her own doubts are a personal betrayal of him.
He employs similar tactics with other group members, fabricating a pitiable background for himself, exploiting Paula’s attraction to him, and seducing Clara. Additionally, he fondles Jane in front of Andrew, both embarrassing her and provoking jealousy in Andrew, who is likewise attracted to Nick. When words fail Nick, he resorts to violence, beating Jane to keep her in line, and then using photos of his own abuse to reinforce Andrew’s loyalty by falsely blaming Martin. Everything is a tool to Nick, including his own domestic abuse of Jane, which he further employs to maintain control over her and her family. Though Jane quickly succumbs to his manipulation, instantly putting her doubts to rest in his presence, it is ultimately her love for her brother that breaks the spell. Though family is often a site of tension and violence in Pieces of Her, the novel nevertheless presents familial love as a powerful force. Regardless of Nick’s overpowering influence on her, the one thing that Jane cannot permit is for her brother to suffer needlessly and die alone. The strength that she demonstrates in ensuring that he is taken care of in his final moments speaks to the power of her love for him. Ultimately, her brave decision to take care of Andrew instead of following Nick’s plan helps her to regain her sense of clarity, recognize the extent of her brainwashing, and set a new course for her life.
