56 pages • 1 hour read
Blake CrouchDark Matter
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Dark Matter
The term that gives the novel its title, dark matter is the theoretical substance that comprises most of the universe. Physicists hypothesize dark matter exists to account for observations of astrological phenomena that can’t be explained by currently established scientific laws, such as the law of gravity and general relativity. There is no way to measure or observe dark matter; it does not emit or interact with electromagnetic waves, but it exerts a gravitational pull on objects around it. Dark matter is integral to the universe as we know it: The universe would be structured differently without its presence.
In the novel, dark matter symbolizes love. Just as dark matter exerts an invisible gravitational pull, the unseen force of love pulls Jason ever towards Daniela and Charlie. Both dark matter and love are responsible for Jason’s ability to travel between worlds to get back to his family. Both are undeniably real, but neither is observable on its own. In Chapter 6, Jason2 explains to Daniela that dark matter may be the key to the multiverse. He likens the world they inhabit to a small pond. Daniela replies, “So all these other thousands of ponds are all around us, right at this moment—but we just can’t see them?” (113). Dark matter enables the existence of multiple “ponds,” even if it’s not clear exactly how it works.
Similarly, Jason’s love for Daniela undeniably exists, but it is invisible to anyone besides the reader, who is privy to Jason’s thoughts and feelings. For everyone else, and in the real world, the only way to perceive love is through a person’s interactions with their loved ones. Jason does everything in his power to get back to his own Daniela; once he does, he is willing to sacrifice himself for her happiness. He also accepts her decision when she says she wants him, not any other Jason. Through these actions, Jason’s love becomes observable.
The Box
The quantum superpositioning box Jason2 invents makes Jason’s travel between worlds possible. It is a 12-foot metal cube, empty and airtight, that emits a low-frequency hum. When an individual goes inside and closes the door, they go into “cat state,” the state of potential multiple realities named for the famous thought experiment Schrödinger’s cat. In 1935, Austrian-Irish physicist Erwin Schrödinger hypothesized that a cat in a sealed metal box with a Geiger counter and a vial of poison may be considered both alive and dead, depending on whether a random subatomic event occurs; if the Geiger counter detects radiation, a device breaks the vial, and the cat is poisoned. If no radiation is detected, the vial stays intact and the cat lives. It is impossible to determine the cat’s state without opening the box, so while the box is sealed, the cat may be considered both dead and alive.
In the novel, the box symbolizes the self. Every time Jason steps into the box, his psyche, memory, hopes, and fears dictate which world he emerges into. He has to wrestle with his insecurities and despair to arrive at back at his own reality; Amanda helps him focus, but he must do the work on his own. Like Schrödinger’s cat, Jason exists in multiple states simultaneously. Dozens of copies of him emerge from the box, symbolizing the many versions of the self that exist. In the end, Jason is the only one who matters because he is the one his family loves.
The box exemplifies the novel’s theme of determining one’s own reality. Jason’s visits to alternate realities show him how to let go of the “what ifs” and appreciate his life to the fullest. At the end of the novel, Jason walks through the box’s door for the last time, into a reality chosen by his son. Jason will not need to return to the box because he has made peace with himself and his choices.
Piece of Thread
The piece of thread Jason ties around his finger is a motif that represents Jason’s values. When Jason wakes up in Jason2’s world, he realizes his wedding ring is gone. In Chapter 5, after Jason has escaped from the hospital and checked into the Hotel Royale, he pulls a thread from the curtain and ties it around his finger as a physical reminder of the life he knows. He uses it “like a talisman” (98). Every time he touches or looks at his finger, it reminds him of his commitment to Daniela and his goal of finding her.
The narrative mentions the thread in moments of crisis when Jason is losing hope. In Chapter 7, when he thinks about Daniela2’s murder, he says, “It would be so easy to crack. […] I touch the piece of thread on my ring finger and remind myself that my other life is real, that it’s still out there somewhere” (127). The thread grounds him, preventing him from wallowing in grief and reminding him that “his” Daniela is still safe in their reality. When Jason and Amanda are in the blizzard world, Jason notices that his “ring of thread is encrusted with ice” (169), signifying his negative mental state: cold, afraid, and almost hopeless. In Chapter 11, when he talks to the version of Daniela who works at the co-op art gallery, he reaches down and touches the piece of thread that is, “against all odds” (225) still tied to his finger. The persistence of the thread signifies Jason’s unbreakable determination and the strength of his bond with Daniela. When Jason finally beats Jason2 and takes his wedding ring, he slides it over the piece of thread, rather than tearing the thread off, because it represents his struggle in regaining his life.
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By Blake Crouch
