63 pages • 2 hours read
Dear Edward
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BetaPart 3, Chapters 4-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 3, Chapter 4 Summary: “April 2016”
Edward continues to care for Principal Arundhi’s kangaroo paw, although most of the other plants have died. Edward and Shay continue to respond to letters, finishing those to the oldest and youngest writers first. Edward reads a note from the co-pilot’s wife, who feels guilty that her husband caused the crash.
Edward takes a bus back to New York and goes to Mahira’s tarot card reader. The reader, Madame Victory, reads Edward’s palm. She knows his name without him telling her. Edward asks her what he should do with his future; Edward is unimpressed with her generic answer. Madame Victory tells Edward, “There was no reason for what happened to you […] You could have died; you just didn’t. […] Nobody chose you for anything. Which means, truly, that you can do anything” (293). For the first time, someone tells Edward he isn’t special, and it affords him a new independence over his identity.
Part 3, Chapter 5 Summary: “2:09 P.M.”
The plane loses speed as it ascends rapidly; the co-pilot steadies the climb and gains speed. In first class, Mark assures Jane that the plane is only shaking due to turbulence. He focuses instead on Veronica and the deal he hopes to close in California.
Part 3, Chapter 6 Summary: “May 2016”
Edward isn’t sure whether to use the check that Mark’s brother, Jax, sent to him. He learns through a letter that Jax has died, however, and decides to tell Lacey and John about the money. Edward and John have been working together to find more information about the crash victims, and his confession about the check reveals that Edward “no longer has any interest in secrets” (300). He is allowing others to help him heal.
Principal Arundhi asks Edward to keep the kangaroo paw fern for good. As he falls asleep, Edward fantasizes about using Jax’s money to build a greenhouse for Arundhi. He imagines other ways he could use the money to help people who affected by the crash.
Part 3, Chapter 7 Summary: “2:10 P.M.”
The plane is again flying safely until the co-pilot raises the front of the craft and stalls the plane. The onboard computer, which normally prevents this, “switches from normal law to ‘alternate law’” when it disengages the autopilot (304). This pertains not only to the plane but also to the way Edward’s life will move away from normality.
An old woman sitting next to Benjamin grabs his arm and tells him about her family; she’s moving to California to retire and live with a daughter. Benjamin also sees Edward gripping Jordan’s hand in fear across the aisle. Benjamin “thinks, We’re off course,” which prompts him to consider leaving the army (305).
Part 3, Chapters 4-7 Analysis
Despite his trauma, Edward becomes a healer. He saves Arundhi’s kangaroo paw from death, and he continues to respond to letters with Shay. While he has not let go of his grief, he is learning to move forward despite it. His survival is now having a positive impact on the world outside of himself, which consequently gives Edward a reason to heal—without his family, especially Jordan, he felt there was no purpose in getting better. By saving the fern, he is helping Arundhi; by saving himself, he is helping those affected by the crash.
Edward begins to involve John and Lacey in his healing process, as well. He involves them in his decisions, including his effort to reach out to others. This indicates a cycle of healing: Edward allows John and Lacey to help him move forward, which gives them a catalyst for their healing. The same is true of the letter writers: they give Edward motivation to confront the crash while he helps them find connections to their loved ones.
The tarot card reader provides another push in Edward’s journey. Edward fears the uncertainty of the future, and it holds him back. Rather than assuage these fears, however, the tarot card reader confirms that what happened to Edward had no deeper meaning and that his survival does not make him special. In that sense, an uncertain future can bring life just as easily as death. If Edward does not accept his lack of control, he will remain paralyzed. Protagonists must overcome their greatest fears to succeed in their journeys; Edward does this by embracing the unpredictability of the future.
Jax’s death exemplifies this. Jax has a different outlook than Edward: he embraces the chaos of life. Because of that, his death is not a tragedy. Instead, it gives Edward the freedom to use Jax’s check for a good purpose.
As the pilots lose control of the plane, Napolitano discusses the difference between normal law and alternate law. In other words, the difference between control and chaos. Each of the passengers is grappling with control in his or her way; even Florida, a free spirit, is going to California to regain control of her own identity. Jax, however, chooses to thrive in his version of “alternate law.”
When Benjamin notes that the plane is off course, he is excited by the possibility of living in this alternate law—of forging his own route without the limits of outside expectation. He gets only a glimpse of that, but it gives him the comfort of freedom.
Edward, on the other hand, has not chosen to step away from the normal; he has alternate law thrust upon him. By denying that chaos, he has—like the plane—stalled. It is not until this section of the novel that Edward realizes a core truth: his connections to others are key to his survival in an unpredictable future.
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