The Librarianist

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Struggles of Aging

The challenges associated with aging become evident in the opening chapter as Bob encounters Connie (now called “Chip”) at the convenience store. The image of Connie as confused and incapable of caring for herself presents a dismal view of the condition of the elderly. As Bob encounters the seniors at the Gambell-Reed Center, this picture continues: Residents are disengaged and often seem either unable to do so (due to cognitive impairment, in the case of Connie) or unwilling to do so out of a sense of resentment at being deemed “old” and therefore of little value to society. Bob intuits this dissonance as soon as he enters the center and desires to bring meaning to the lives of its residents.

The revelation that the woman called Chip is Bob’s former wife, Connie, is a striking one. The contrast between the zombie-like portrayal of Chip due to her mental decline is heightened by the image of the lively and sociable woman she once was. Throughout her life, people are drawn to Connie, desiring to be in her orbit due to her warmth and charm. Indeed, it is these qualities that both cause Bob to be shocked that Connie takes a romantic interest in him and to worry that he will never be able to fulfill the kind of social excitement Connie requires. The elderly Chip is nothing like this, evident when no one is truly alarmed when she wanders off. Her existence underscores the struggle that seniors face to remain valued members of a society that can be inclined to regard them as no longer useful or able to make meaningful contributions.

This desire to continue to make meaningful contributions is integral to Bob as he ages, as well. Having retired from his library career, Bob risks becoming obsolete. His love of books and reading have been the avenue to a meaningful life via his work as a librarian, and thus it is through books that he attempts to connect with the seniors at the Gambell-Reed Center. Bob’s fall in Part 4 causes him to need care that he cannot provide for himself, and thus he accepts Maria’s offer to move to the center. Rather than representing a defeat and signaling the decline of his life, Bob finds that he can live a purposeful life at the center. Not only does the living situation comply with his desire to spend long hours reading, but it also provides a social network that causes Bob to thrive. In the end, he is able to overcome the struggles that aging brings as he continues to carve out a purpose-filled existence.

The Impact of Relationships and Human Connection

Early in their relationship, Connie marvels at the way in which Bob would rather spend his time with books than with people. He explains that reading infuses his life with excitement and meaning while the company of people is something he feels he can live without. As he ages, however, Bob learns that this is not the case, and deWitt uses Bob’s character to highlight the importance of human connection.

Bob first stumbles into such connection unexpectedly when he runs away from home at age 11. Without consciously deciding to, he finds himself tagging along with June and Ida, the two eccentric women he meets on the train. Their treatment of Bob not as an incapable child in need of care but as a person with his own will and independence is integral to Bob feeling comfortable in their presence. He gradually becomes more comfortable around the women as well as the men he meets at the hotel. In large part, this is due to each of them being eccentric and outside of the norms of society in their own right. In this way, they model for Bob that it is acceptable to be one’s self, no matter how strange or “other” the world may deem that person to be.

It is when Bob enters his twenties and meets Connie and Ethan that he truly recognizes the importance of personal relationships. Ethan quickly becomes a regular part of his life and the two establish routines, such as regularly meeting for breakfast at the same diner. Connie, too, quickly becomes a person Bob finds indispensable in his life, and her absence is devastating to Bob after their relationship abruptly ends. It is this experience with emptiness, in large part, that motivates Bob to volunteer at the Gambell-Reed Senior Center. The detachment he is faced with by the residents frustrates him as Bob is eager to forge new friendships with them. Indeed, the novel conveys the ways that the seniors have grown hardened and walled-off, skeptical of those who try to take an interest in them on a personal level. In time, however, Bob is able to chip away at their resistances and develop genuine bonds with the other seniors. It is this human connection that not only infuses their lives with a new meaning but, in return, helps Bob to achieve the kind of meaningful relationships he has been longing for since the absence of Connie and Ethan.

Work and the Discovery of Life’s Purpose

When the novel opens, Bob Comet has been retired from his job as a librarian for some time. Though his life is ordered and pleasant, his spontaneous desire to read to the residents of Gambell-Reed Senior Center suggests it is partially absent of the meaning that his profession once brought him. When the residents prove uninterested, Bob must go about connecting in other ways and discovering new ways to make his life meaningful. Ethan approaches life in an opposite manner, prioritizing spontaneity instead of finding purpose in career goals or passions. Neither character is depicted as correct or incorrect, but instead it is implied that each character lacks a meaningful trait belonging to the other.

In his early twenties, Bob quickly fell in love with the idea of becoming a librarian and never regretted the effort he put into the profession. The work, quiet and orderly, suits him, and Bob is able to tailor his work according to his personal strengths and interests. Most importantly, it allows him to share with others his deep love of books—a trait that is fundamental to Bob’s person. It is this love that he hopes to share with the center’s residents, as this sharing has proven to bring meaning to his life. It is only in connection with this career and passion that he can form relationships with others.

Bob’s love of his work is foiled by Ethan, who is rudderless. Ethan lives a carefree life, focusing not on the big picture or long-term plans but on the day-to-day. He works menial jobs, or no job at all. This aimlessness, while seeming to satisfy him to a degree, is ultimately bothersome to Ethan. Unlike Bob, Ethan seeks out excitement and thus jumps at the chance to work at a resort in Acapulco, even though the position is only for temporary, seasonal work. That he attempts to emulate Bob by quickly proposing marriage to Eileen, however, suggests that Ethan longs for the kind of meaning and stability Bob has achieved through his library work.

Though Bob continues to find satisfaction in books and reading, he learns that human connection also brings about an important fulfillment—one he largely lacked for most of his life. By connecting to others, he is able to achieve the kind of purpose his librarian work once provided.