Immortality Questions and Answers: Hazel, Jack, the Tincture, and More

1. Why does Hazel Sinnett refuse to take the Tincture of immortality when the Companions to the Death offer it?

Hazel refuses because she does not want to watch everyone she loves die while she lives forever. The permanence and boredom of an endless life frighten her, as does the emotional burden of eternal loss. She also values her mortality as part of being human.

In Chapter 17, at the secret society meeting, Hazel states, "I don't want to live forever... It's too permanent." When Voltaire argues that life changes constantly, Hazel counters that she would get bored and cannot bear to outlive those she loves. Marie-Anne points out that mortals also watch loved ones die, but Hazel's refusal stands. She instead becomes the Companions' surgeon, keeping her mortality and her left pinkie.

2. How does the epigraph from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility relate to the novel's central themes?

The epigraph—"It is not everyone who has your passion for dead leaves"—introduces a tension between romanticizing death (Marianne's passion) and a rational, scientific approach to mortality. This conflict runs throughout the novel as characters either embrace death's beauty or fight to transcend it.

Chapter 1 consists solely of this Jane Austen quote. It foreshadows the debates between the romantic poets (like Lord Byron) who celebrate death and the scientists (like the Companions) who seek to conquer it. Hazel herself occupies a middle ground: she is a scientist who treats the dying but also grieves deeply for Jack. The "dead leaves" become a symbol of decay that both fascinates and horrifies. This thematic thread ties directly to the novel's exploration of immortality versus mortality.

3. Why does Hazel decide to help Princess Charlotte fake her death rather than expose the princess's plot?

Hazel believes that Charlotte deserves a life with the person she loves, free from the cage of royal duty. She prioritizes Charlotte's autonomy and happiness over her own reputation and safety, even knowing it will ruin her career as a physician.

In Chapter 27, as they prepare the escape, Hazel tells Jack, "Charlotte is a person. She deserves a life with the person she loves." Hazel fully understands that when she "discovers" the body, she will become a pariah—"all of England" may despise her. But she has already helped Charlotte hide the faked illness, and she cannot abandon the princess now. Hazel values individual freedom over social standing, a decision that echoes her own desire to live her own life.

4. What is the significance of the "Alpine blood disorder" invented by Simon von Ferris?

The invented disease serves as a cover story to protect Hazel's reputation after Princess Charlotte's faked death. Simon fabricates the illness and takes blame for missing it, ensuring that Hazel is not blamed for the death of the beloved princess.

In Chapter 28, when the Prince Regent and his secretary blame Hazel, Simon steps forward and claims he dismissed Hazel's theory about Alpine blood disease. He tells Hazel afterward, "If they blamed you, it would set back the hundreds of young women who want to follow in your path in the medical field." Simon sacrifices his own reputation to protect what Hazel represents. Later, in the epilogue (Chapter 32), Hazel publishes a treatise describing Alpine blood disorder as a fictional deadly disease—a permanent cover for their secret.

5. How does Hazel's relationship with Simon von Ferris evolve, and why does she ultimately reject his marriage proposal?

Hazel and Simon develop mutual respect and affection through their collaboration at Kew Infirmary. Simon proposes marriage in Chapter 27, but Hazel declines because she still loves Jack Currer. Her choice reflects her unwavering commitment to Jack, even after thinking him dead for a year.

Simon and Hazel's banter begins in Chapter 13, and by Chapter 18 they share a kiss. However, when Jack returns, Hazel's feelings for him resurface. In Chapter 27, Simon buys a corpse for the escape and proposes in the carriage. Hazel tells him she loves Jack. Simon accepts this gracefully, saying, "I hope your love for the sailor is always enough for you." He then returns to Sweden, leaving Hazel to follow her heart.

6. What role does the character of Marie-Anne Lavoisier play in the Companions to the Death, and how does she become a villain?

Marie-Anne is the leader of the Companions, a brilliant chemist who preserved her husband Antoine's severed head and leads the immortal society. However, she secretly poisoned King George III to control the monarchy. When Hazel discovers the mold in the "Kew" drawer, Marie-Anne attacks her, revealing her ambition for political power.

In Chapter 29, Hazel finds mold in a drawer labeled "Kew" and realizes Marie-Anne has been poisoning the King. Marie-Anne admits the Companions aim to control the monarchy. She attacks Hazel, demanding Charlotte's location. Hazel tears off Marie-Anne's reattached arm to escape. By the epilogue, Marie-Anne is reduced to a living head, still plotting. She starts as a mentor figure but becomes the novel's primary antagonist, corrupted by power.

7. Why does Hazel agree to become the personal physician to Princess Charlotte despite the danger?

Hazel is forced into the role by the Prince Regent, who threatens her with disgrace if she fails. However, she also sees an opportunity to use her medical skills to help a young woman in need. The position allows her to regain some control after her traumatic imprisonment.

In Chapter 9, Gaspar Pembroke tells Hazel that she has no choice: the Prince Regent has ordered her to attend the princess. Hazel protests but learns that refusal would mean returning to prison. Once at court, she genuinely begins to care for Charlotte. Hazel's empathy, combined with her desire to prove herself as a surgeon, motivates her to go beyond mere duty. She eventually risks everything to help Charlotte escape.

8. How does Jack Currer survive the hanging, and what is his journey afterward?

Jack survives because Beecham's Tincture made him immortal. He wakes in a pile of corpses at Edinburgh Medical School, escapes naked through a classroom, steals clothes, and walks to Hawthornden Castle without entering. He then rides to Greenock, joins a ship as Jack Ellis, endures shipwreck and loses an eye, is rescued, and becomes a naval hero.

In Chapter 22, Jack recounts his story to Hazel. He describes waking among the dead, fleeing, and being bullied by boatswain Smeaten. The storm destroys his ship, and he is adrift with a broken leg and a piece of wood in his eye socket. HMS Iphigenia rescues him. He learns he cannot die, which both comforts and depresses him. His survival transforms him from a resurrection man into a man burdened by immortality.

9. What is the "Tincture," and how does it work according to Marie-Anne Lavoisier?

The Tincture is a purple liquid that grants immortality. Invented by Antoine Lavoisier, it prevents death from any cause, including hanging, drowning, or gunfire. Those who take it cannot die, though they can still be injured. The initiation involves cutting off the left pinkie to seal the pact.

In Chapter 17, Marie-Anne explains that the Tincture was discovered by her husband. Hazel sees the purple liquid "thick as ink." The Companions all lack a left pinkie as proof of their membership. In Chapter 30, Dr. Beecham tells Hazel that the Tincture is irreversible, using a "milk-in-tea" analogy: once added, you cannot separate it. This sets up Hazel's quest to find an antidote, a goal she pursues through the end of the novel.

10. Why does Hazel choose to publish her medical treatise under a male name, and how does this decision reflect the theme of gender and medical authority?

Marie-Anne Lavoisier advises Hazel to publish under a male name to ensure the treatise is taken seriously. This decision highlights the barriers women faced in the male-dominated medical field. Hazel reluctantly agrees, sacrificing personal credit for the greater good of disseminating medical knowledge.

In Chapter 24, Marie-Anne tells Hazel, "You'll want to publish under a male name." Hazel does not argue, knowing that even with royal patronage, a female author would be dismissed. The treatise eventually appears as "A Treatise on Modern Medicine (1822) by Hazel Sinnett-Ellis" in the epilogue, suggesting that after moving to America, Hazel may have reclaimed her name. The choice underscores her pragmatism and her commitment to helping patients rather than seeking fame.

11. How does the imagery of severed fingers and surgical tools connect to Hazel's character arc?

Hazel's ease with severed fingers in her dreams and her use of embroidery skills for surgery symbolize her transformation from a proper young lady into a skilled surgeon. She reclaims tools associated with femininity (needles) for medicine, and her comfort with dismemberment shows her desensitization to death.

In Chapter 2, Hazel dreams of severed fingers but no longer fears them. She uses embroidery needles to stitch wounds. The pinkie removal initiation of the Companions is a literal severance for membership, but Hazel keeps her fingers because she needs dexterity. By the end, she performs self-surgery on her own chest. The severed fingers represent her gradual acceptance of mortality and her own body as both subject and tool.

12. What is the significance of the "Companions to the Death" secret society's name and its members?

The name mocks the fear of death by embracing it—they are "companions" to death because they have conquered it. Members include historical figures like Voltaire, Lord Byron, and Benjamin Banneker, mixing real and fictional characters to explore Enlightenment ideals versus Romantic passion.

The society is introduced in Chapter 11 when Hazel sees masked revellers. In Chapter 16, Hazel enters their lair at Seven Dials. The debate between Byron (emotion) and Voltaire (reason) ends in a shooting. The society's immortality makes them detached from ordinary human concerns, causing ennui. The name also foreshadows that while they cheat death, they become emotionally dead. The mix of real and fictional characters allows Schwartz to comment on historical figures' possible connection to immortality myths.

13. Why does Hazel feel guilty after kissing Simon von Ferris in Chapter 18?

Hazel feels she has betrayed Jack Currer, the man she loved who she believes is dead. Even though she hopes Jack might be alive, the kiss feels like moving on, which she interprets as disloyalty. This guilt shows her internal struggle between grief and desire for connection.

In Chapter 18, after leaving the Companions, Hazel goes to Kew Infirmary and finds Simon asleep. When he wakes, he admits he dreamed of her, and they kiss. Hazel is thrilled but immediately overwhelmed with guilt, thinking of Jack. She distracts herself by reading about Lavoisier. This moment establishes Hazel's emotional paralysis—she cannot fully embrace a new relationship until she resolves Jack's fate. The guilt also foreshadows the tension when Jack reappears.

14. How does the green wallpaper at Kew Infirmary relate to King George III's illness?

Hazel deduces that King George's symptoms are caused by arsenic poisoning from the green wallpaper in his room. The damp walls release arsenic into the air. Hazel and Simon remove the paper, saving the King. This plot point demonstrates Hazel's keen observational skills and scientific reasoning.

In Chapter 24, Hazel remembers the mold from her old medical bag and connects it to the damp walls at Kew. She realizes the green wallpaper (likely Scheele's Green or Paris green, which contained arsenic) is poisoning the King. She and Simon tear down the wallpaper, and the King recovers. This moment not only saves the monarch but also highlights Hazel's ability to think like a scientist—observing, hypothesizing, and testing. It also ties back to the theme of hidden poisons in seemingly beautiful things.

15. What is the meaning of the final scene in America, and how does it resolve Hazel's character arc?

The epilogue shows Hazel and Jack sailing to America, where Hazel eventually gains admission to medical school at King's College in Manhattan. She waits patiently, saying "She had time." This resolves her arc from a secret practitioner to a legitimate doctor, and from someone fearful of eternity to someone who accepts her immortality with Jack.

Chapter 32 describes Hazel and Jack on a boat to America. Jack works at the Park Theatre; Hazel repeatedly applies to medical school. She waits for as long as it takes because now she has time—she is immortal. The excerpt from her treatise includes the fictional Alpine blood disorder as a cover story. The ending emphasizes that immortality, once a burden, becomes a gift when shared with the person she loves. Hazel's persistence and refusal to give up her dream of becoming a physician show her ultimate triumph over both societal barriers and personal tragedy.

For further reading on the novel's key moments, check our ending explained page and the themes of immortality and mortality. Learn more about the central characters like Hazel Sinnett and Jack Currer.