Chapter 5 Summary: “Are You There, Menopause? It’s Me, Helen”
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chapter 5 is titled “Are You There, Menopause? It’s Me, Helen,” a direct echo of Judy Blume’s classic young‑adult novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. The title instantly signals that Ellis is treating menopause as a parallel coming‑of‑age experience—this time for midlife women. Although the evidence provided does not include the chapter’s full text, the title and the book’s established voice suggest that Ellis uses personal anecdotes to describe the physical changes, emotional surprises, and cultural taboos surrounding menopause. She likely addresses hot flashes, mood swings, and the social pressure to remain forever young, all delivered in her trademark blend of deadpan humor and sharp observation. The chapter fits within the collection’s larger argument that women should embrace every stage of life—baggage included.
Key Events
No specific narrative events can be confirmed from the available evidence. The chapter is expected to unfold as a series of comic vignettes and reflections rather than a single linear plot. Readers should anticipate Ellis’s characteristic structure: a mix of self‑deprecating confession, cultural commentary, and unexpected solidarity with other women going through the same transition.
Character Development
Helen Ellis (the narrator) – The chapter further develops Ellis’s persona as a woman who meets midlife changes with honesty and wit. If earlier chapters show her navigating friendships and cosmetic procedures, this one deepens her willingness to talk openly about the body’s transformations. The allusion to Judy Blume’s adolescent protagonist suggests that Ellis positions herself as a grown‑up version of Margaret—still seeking answers, but now about hot flashes instead of menstruation.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Menopause as a second adolescence – The title explicitly parallels the hormonal upheaval of puberty and the social awkwardness of growing up, reframing menopause as another awkward but necessary passage.
- Humor as a coping mechanism – Ellis’s comic tone, inferred from the rest of the book, turns a potentially grim subject into a source of shared laughter and relief.
- Cultural silence vs. female candor – By borrowing a beloved book title, Ellis breaks the taboo on discussing menopause, insisting that it belongs in the same conversation as puberty—messy, weird, and ultimately normal.
- Aging and identity – The chapter likely questions what it means to be a woman when fertility ends and the body behaves unpredictably.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 5 is a pivot point in the collection. While earlier chapters focused on friendships, marriage, and small‑town life, this one directly confronts the biological realities of aging. It continues Ellis’s project of destigmatizing female experiences by treating them as worthy of literary attention. For readers who have reached perimenopause or menopause, the chapter offers recognition and relief; for those who haven’t, it provides a preview delivered without shame or sentimentality. The Judy Blume allusion also ties Ellis’s modern voice to a beloved feminist touchstone, suggesting that the questions of girlhood never fully go away—they just change shape.
Study Questions & Answers
1. Why does Helen Ellis choose to echo Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in this chapter’s title?
The allusion accomplishes several things. It immediately signals to readers familiar with Blume’s novel that menopause will be treated as a normal, awkward, and important life stage—just as menstruation and bra‑shopping were for Margaret. It also establishes a humorous, self‑mocking tone: Ellis is the grown‑up Margaret, still asking questions, but now about hot flashes and hormones. The title creates a bridge between generations of female experience.
2. What role does humor play in the chapter’s approach to menopause?
Based on the book’s overall style, humor is the engine that makes the subject approachable. By laughing at her own symptoms and the absurd expectations society places on aging women, Ellis transforms a potentially isolating experience into a communal one. Humor also defuses the fear and shame that often accompany menopause, allowing readers to see it as a normal, even funny, part of life.
3. How does this chapter connect to the collection’s central theme of “bringing your baggage”?
The chapter extends the metaphor of baggage to include the physical and emotional changes of midlife. Menopause is a piece of “baggage” that most women eventually carry, but Ellis argues it should not be packed away in shame. Instead, she brings it into the open, examines it with curiosity, and invites readers to do the same. This aligns with the book’s larger message: that honesty about one’s full self—including aging bodies—is a source of strength.