28 pages • 56 minutes read
Megan HunterThe End We Start From
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary
Although baby C is frightened of the boat and miserable throughout the journey, Z enjoys the water, and the narrator bonds further with her baby and enjoys his company on the boat. Upon arriving at the island, they meet O’s friend, H, his wife, F, and their children, B and W. The narrator marvels at the children, who are “much, much older than Z. They are a different species” (71). She finds it impossible to imagine that Z will one day reach those same stages of development, even as he experiences new milestones on the island such as his first tooth.
Over the next few months, they adapt to life on the island, finding a sense of normalcy on a personal level and as an unconventional blended family. O and the narrator teach the older children how to care for babies. They help H and F cultivate a garden, and the four adults divide household chores between them. Although they do not have electricity or internet access, they find comfort in the simplicity of living without the news or the anxieties of modern city life.
Chapter 8 Summary
Spring arrives on the island, and with the new season comes new milestones for Z. He learns to crawl and explore more of the world around him. The narrator marvels at this new stage of her son’s life and the realization that he will eventually learn to walk, run, and become an independent person.
As they adapt to a new sense of normal, the narrator observes that each adult has a different idea of the future. O thinks that they will live this way on the island forever, while H believes that it will all be over soon and the world will revert to normal. H suggests starting a humanitarian rescue mission and bringing more refugees to the island. However, he does not leave. O and the narrator support his decision to stay because there is currently enough food, water, and shelter for everyone to live comfortably.
The thought of rescuing other people reminds the narrator of R, and she begins to think of him constantly. She worries that he doesn’t know where she and Z are and has no way to communicate with them. Looking out across the island, she imagines that she can see him trying to reach them across the ocean, only to be pulled farther away.
Chapters 7-8 Analysis
While traveling with infants can often be challenging, Z enjoys the water, and their time on the boat presents a new opportunity for the narrator to bond with her baby. Z’s reaction to the journey reinforces the theme of The Vulnerability and Resilience of Humanity because Z embraces challenges as he grows, prompting his mother to observe that “[h]e is the most comfortable person on the boat, his softness slouching against mine, the rocking motion undulating his cheeks. The others watch him hungrily, as though they can catch his contentment” (70). His pleasure on the water—simultaneously the cause of the disaster—emphasizes resilience and the idea that the world is not lost.
Z’s contentment strengthens his mother’s love for him because he makes the journey easier and even joyful. Because she feels that they are in sync and Z is enjoying their travel, she finds it easier to believe that she is doing the right thing by taking a risk and seeking safety on a new island. She feels even more confident in her decision when they reach the island and “Z has a bath now, and a room. He is a real boy now […] He is no longer a puppet dragged through chaos. He has form” (76). This demonstrates the impact of crisis on individuals, where trauma can keep people in stasis—similar to how R and N were immobilized by their grief over G’s death. Now experiencing safety for the first time in his life, Z feels more real to his mother because they have something solid to hold onto in their shattered world.
The narrator’s time on the island also intensifies The Healing Power of Female Friendship. Although she and O no longer sleep in the same room or nurse each other’s babies, the narrator is pleased to find that returning to a semblance of normal life has not weakened their bond or comfort with one another. While the narrator is initially wary of her host family she comes to “love F, the gentle drape of her sleeve from her arm, the way she leans across to spoon stew onto [the narrator’s] plate” (76). With more women in her life, the narrator feels more loved and supported. The household dynamic on the island likewise represents a social structure characterized by community and solidarity over individualism as the group shares chores and teaches each other survival skills. Once again, Hunter emphasizes that cooperation and care will be needed to survive the climate crisis. Still, this blended family is not enough for the narrator as her vision for a family has always included R. This love and longing motivates her decision to journey back and try to reunite with him.
