Chapter summaries Broken (in the best possible way) Jenny Lawson

Chapter 35: Eclipse – Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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 35, “Eclipse (Not the Twilight Book. The Other Kind.),” begins with Jenny eagerly anticipating a solar eclipse but failing to buy special glasses because of procrastination. She considers a welder’s mask but cannot return to the hardware store due to an earlier embarrassing encounter. That encounter stemmed from a rat scare in her backyard, where she mistakenly thought the rodents were “lawn gerbils.” After phone calls with exterminator Denise and an animal control technician, Jenny tries to live-trap the rats. Her cat Hunter gets caught instead, and a squirrel named Squirrelly Temple repeatedly outsmarts the trap to steal peanut butter. Eventually, Jenny builds a pinhole-box eclipse viewer but falls into the rat bushes while wearing it, causing a neighbor to watch her stagger around. The chapter ends with her giving up and having a cocktail.

Key Events

  • Jenny discovers a solar eclipse is coming but cannot buy viewing glasses.
  • She recalls an earlier incident involving three “small bears” that were actually rats.
  • Phone call with exterminator Denise, who identifies the creatures as rats and suggests using cherry Starbursts as bait.
  • Jenny buys a live trap from a hardware store, where the clerk asks if she has a marmot.
  • She baits the trap with peanut butter, and Hunter S. Thomcat gets trapped.
  • The trap is repeatedly sprung empty; a tiny plastic star appears inside.
  • Hailey suggests the rats are leaving gifts; Victor jokes about a threat.
  • Squirrelly Temple learns to open the trap and steals the bait.
  • Jenny buys a plastic owl, which she places inside the house overnight, to Victor’s annoyance.
  • She builds a pinhole-box eclipse viewer but cannot see the eclipse properly and falls into the bushes.
  • A neighbor watches her with the box on her head; Jenny gives up and has a drink.

Character Development

  • Jenny: Her procrastination leads to a series of absurd problems. Her anxiety about the rats and the eclipse is palpable, but her humor and self-deprecation remain central. She refuses to give up on the eclipse despite obstacles, showing stubbornness.
  • Victor: He is the voice of reason, warning Jenny not to stare at the sun and pointing out flaws in her plans (e.g., the skunk possibility). His deadpan reactions contrast with Jenny’s mania.
  • Dottie Barker: The papillon is fearful of the rats and refuses to help, reinforcing her “pretentious” French character.
  • Hunter S. Thomcat: The cat’s curiosity gets him trapped, but he learns nothing.
  • Squirrelly Temple: A clever squirrel that outmaneuvers Jenny’s traps, treating them as feeding stations. Her persistence mirrors Jenny’s own.
  • Denise: The exterminator’s practical, no-nonsense attitude offsets Jenny’s wild imagination. She delivers factual horror (e.g., “rats eat dog poop”) with calmness.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Procrastination and Its Consequences: Jenny’s failure to buy eclipse glasses leads to a cascade of time-wasting events. The rats become a distraction from the original goal.
  • Anxiety and Overreaction: Jenny’s panic about “lawn gerbils” inflates a small problem into a dramatic saga. The chapter satirizes how fear can distort reality.
  • Absurdity of Everyday Life: The combination of solar eclipses, rat infestations, and a plastic owl named Owlexander Hamilton highlights the ridiculousness that can arise from ordinary situations.
  • Nature’s Indifference: Both the eclipse and the rats continue on their own paths regardless of Jenny’s efforts. The neighbor’s silent stare underscores how her behavior looks strange to outsiders.
  • Symbols:
    • The tiny plastic star left in the trap – could represent a fairy gift, a threat, or simply a random object, reflecting Jenny’s tendency to find meaning in the meaningless.
    • The box-on-head viewer – symbol of makeshift solutions that don’t work but are heroic in their absurdity.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter captures a core theme of Broken: the struggle to cope with life’s chaos through humor and persistence. Jenny’s inability to watch the eclipse mirrors the broader difficulty of experiencing beauty when everyday anxieties (rats, embarrassment, exhaustion) get in the way. The story also showcases her signature digressive storytelling, where a simple desire leads to a tangled mess of subplots. The chapter is a reminder that even when plans fail, laughter can salvage the moment.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Jenny call the exterminator instead of just buying rattraps herself?
    Jenny attempts to identify the creatures first because she fears they might not be rats. She wants reassurance and a solution that doesn’t involve killing them. Her phone call reveals her desire to treat the animals humanely, yet she also dreads the confrontation that trapping requires.

  2. What does the tiny star left in the trap suggest about Jenny’s worldview?
    The star becomes a mystery that Jenny cannot solve. She considers supernatural explanations (fairies) and paranoid ones (hantavirus). This reflects her tendency to see life through a lens of wonder and anxiety, where everyday events feel layered with hidden significance.

  3. How does Victor’s reaction to the plastic owl illustrate his role in Jenny’s life?
    Victor initially rejects the idea but then plays along after Jenny names the owl “Owlexander Hamilton.” His comic pun (“I’m talon you, this has to stop”) shows that he uses humor to cope with Jenny’s antics, anchoring her while sharing her playful spirit.

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