90 pages • 3 hours read
Mary E. PearsonThe Adoration of Jenna Fox
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Nature, Man’s Relationship with Nature, and Survival
Jenna, a human made up almost entirely of artificial parts, often finds herself surrounded by nature and in the company of those who advocate for the natural world. The first time she leaves her house, she is drawn to the lush greenery of her backyard, and describes the “bright green lichens” (18), the still pond, and the forest of eucalyptus. Mr. Bender, Jenna’s first friend, is an artist who rearranges “‘parts of nature for a short time so people will notice the beauty of what they usually ignore’” (21). Jenna does more than notice nature, she revels in it, and in her darkest moments finds comfort lying on the forest floor (197). The use of Walden further deepens the theme of humankind’s relationship with nature in the novel. Like Thoreau, Jenna discovers herself through observing nature, and seeing the ways she does or does not fit in with the world around her.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox is careful not to paint too pretty a picture of nature and humankind’s effect on it, however. In Jenna’s time, huge earthquakes have destroyed large parts of California; drug-resistant bacteria have killed millions of people and human intervention has caused tributaries to become bone-dry ravines. Yet, despite setbacks, the natural world Jenna lives in is still much like our own. Nature has managed to survive, with the help of people like Father Rio and Lily advocating for a return to “natural” ways. And on the opposite side, many “unnatural” things have caused humans great joy—Allys’ prosthetics are unnatural but allow her to walk. Lily conceived her daughter through the unnatural process of in vitro fertilization. And Jenna, of course, despite her identity crisis, is ultimately “thankful, grateful” (193) for her new life and her second chance.
Though early on, Lily describes Jenna’s gait and general existence as “not natural” (7), ultimately, Jenna’s Bio Gel and neurochips do the most natural thing in the world—they adapt and mutate: “Someone in that ten percent was a hidden message: survive” (264). A being or organism changing to fit a new environment is the story of all of nature, from drug-resistant diseases to invasive species like eucalyptus to the artificial, but ultimately natural, Jenna Fox.
Parent-Child Relationships
Throughout The Adoration of Jenna Fox, parent-child relationships are a major theme. The premise of the novel itself hinges on the idea that a parent would do anything to save their child, no matter the cost or the societal implications. Jenna’s parents risk their lives and reputations to give Jenna a second chance. “‘It’s for you, Jenna” (204), her father says of the artificial body he has created for her and the backup kept in the closet. “‘Any parent would have made the choice we did’” (118), Mother assures Jenna, and the other parent-child relationships within the novel bear this out.
Jenna is not the only child in the novel for whom a parent risks their own happiness. Lily, Jenna’s grandmother, sacrifices her personal safety and comfort to help her daughter, Claire, Jenna’s mother. Though Lily disapproves of Claire’s choices, she follows her daughter and son-in-law to California nonetheless. “‘I would do almost anything for [Claire]’” (149), Lily admits to Jenna, drawing a clear parallel between Jenna’s parents, who would, and did, do everything to save Jenna. Lily, who initially does not consider the new Jenna to be human, tolerates and protects her for Claire’s sake, something Jenna realizes early on. “Anything she does for me is really for Mother” (84), Jenna says, “There is nothing she wouldn’t do for Claire” (84).
Finally, the parent-child relationship theme comes full circle at the very end of the novel, when Allys’ parents show up at the Fox house. Despite the illegality of obtaining such comprehensive medical care and despite Allys’ own vehement opposition to such measures, Allys’ parents nonetheless seek out the only person in the world who can save their child—Jenna’s father. Mother reaches out to Allys’ mother, holding the grieving mother “like she has known her for years. Like she understands everything about her” (259). In this way, the love a parent has for a child is shown to be immovable, undeniable, and universal. Jenna is still a childless teenager, and so does not quite understand the enormity of a parent’s love for their child. She describes a moment between Lily and Claire, as they look at each other, communicating “in a language only they know” (258). It is not until Jenna becomes a parent herself, over two hundred years later, that she learns to speak the language of parental sacrifice. “I am reminded” (264), she says, while looking at her daughter, “Of Mother, Lily, and the something that it took [my daughter] to truly understand” (264).
Choices (Can vs. Should)
The idea of choice, and the limits of choice, are frequently explored throughout The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Mother and Father present their choice to save Jenna as inevitable, but as Allys points out to Jenna, “...just because we can doesn’t mean we should” (95). Allys rejects the principle that Jenna’s parents have devoted themselves to, which is that anything that could be done for Jenna not only should have been done, but had to be done. “‘We did what any parent would do. We saved you’” (128), Mother says, thus absolving herself of any real responsibility.
Ethan, too, struggles with his decision to attack the man who sold drugs to his brother. He, like Jenna’s parents, does not see his choice as a mark upon his character. “‘I never felt like a monster’” (164), he tells Jenna, “Something inside of me snapped’” (164). Like Jenna’s parents, Ethan made a choice outside of the established legal paradigm.
Jenna’s relationship with choice is different, simply based on the way her parents raised, and later, created her. Before the accident, Jenna struggled to make her own decisions and assert herself. “What choice did I have but to be perfect!” (233), Jenna says to Lily. “How dare you say that it was me when it was them! I was conceived to please!” (233). Her first instance of true rebellion was attending the party that led to the fatal car crash. “I was eager for a fall” (225), she says. “...not sure what I wanted, except not to be everything I wasn’t” (225). The accident removes all of Jenna’s choices, as she lies helpless in a coma. When she awakens, her parents have taken extra steps to remove her agency and limit her choices. After discovering that she has been programmed to obey certain commands, Jenna actively tries to fight back and make her own choices. She is “drained from the effort” (152) but manages to resist “every joint that wants to sweep me up the stairs” (152). In the end, Jenna remains in place, unmoved. Ultimately, as this scene shows, humans always do have a choice, though making that choice may be difficult and painful.
Related Titles
By Mary E. Pearson
