55 pages • 1 hour read
The Pact
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Themes
The Complexity of Truth
The novel’s central conflict stems from the story Chris tells of Emily’s death and the story the assistant attorney general insists that the evidence tells. Initially, Chris insists that Emily shot herself because the two made a suicide pact—a promise that both teens would die together by suicide. Later, Chris retracts this, insisting that Emily desired to die by suicide but that he did not and planned instead to change Emily’s mind. The state insists that the forensic evidence means it is impossible for Emily to have fired the gun; this casts doubt on Chris’s new story. Indeed, he has changed his version of the truth, making other characters skeptical as to whether or not Chris can be trusted and inviting the reader to explore this as well.
Chris is characterized as loving and genuine. The narrative shows this in flashbacks, when he vows to be protective of Emily. He also wants desperately to reveal the truth to Jordan McAfee. McAfee refuses to hear it, adamant that his job is not to present the truth to the jury but to present a convincing case of Chris’s innocence. These two, McAfee stresses, can be at odds with one another. When McAfee agrees to let Chris testify, Chris is able to tell his version of the truth: that he shot Emily because Emily wished him to do so and could not do so herself. This detail calls into question Chris’s culpability—is he guilty of murder because he pulled the gun’s trigger at Emily’s behest, or is he innocent because he was carrying out her wishes?
In Chris’s view, that he acted out of love for Emily is the most important truth. He feels this truth supersedes any action or behavior that may suggest he intended to harm Emily. Further, in his questioning of Chris on the witness stand, McAfee sheds doubt on the notion that the truth can be discerned at all. He argues that, given that the moment was a swift and emotional one and that Chris himself blacked out, it is possible that Emily herself pulled the trigger. Thus, the truth becomes nearly possible to discern, and is even—as McAfee might argue—nonexistent.
Indeed, that the truth is difficult to discern—or that more than one truth may be possible—is touched on via the parents’ various positions and allegiances. Melanie, for instance, can only accept one truth: that Emily never would have chosen to die by suicide and that Chris must have killed her. Michael, on the other hand, deliberates as to whether he can grieve the loss of Emily and remain loyal to her while still supporting Chris and believing that Chris did not intend to harm her. Gus, completely loyal to Chris from the beginning, must choose which version of the truth to tell on the witness stand after Chris confides his actions. In all instances, the truth is complicated and muddy, never straightforward.
Complicating Teenage Tropes
Picoult builds upon tropes of teenage relationships but deepens them by raising the stakes. Chris and Emily are not merely dating—they have a long history together, since they are childhood friends. Further, the fact that their parents are close friends makes their dynamic even more complex. Emily is, quite literally, the girl next door. In this way, her character is infused with notions of purity, wholesomeness, and goodness. Both sets of parents are happy when Chris and Emily’s relationship shifts from a friendship to a romantic one; indeed, they admit to one another that this is what they had hoped would happen all along. Both Emily and Chris are aware that their parents envision them remaining together forever, eventually marrying. In this respect, theirs is not a typical teenage relationship; it is deemed much more serious than a youthful fling by the people most important to Chris and Emily.
This closeness, however, comes to bother Emily. She frequently speaks of feeling as though Chris is much more of a brother than a boyfriend. Given their history of growing up together, sharing holidays, sharing vacations, and the like, this is understandable. The inability to separate the teenage Chris from his younger self is bothersome to Emily. She regards this as a warning sign that she and Chris should perhaps not continue their dating relationship. However, their parents’ expectations that they remain together are great, and Emily fears disappointing them. At times it is as if the relationship involves six people, rather than two.
The relationships between the Gold and Harte parents are complex as well. As Emily’s death and Chris’s indictment drive the spouses apart, Gus and Michael take refuge in each other. Gus speaks of how natural this is, given that she knows so much about Michael via her decades-long friendship with Melanie. However, as they spend more time together, Gus admits that this new aspect of their relationship feels strange. She, like Emily with Chris, speaks of her closeness to Michael as feeling “incestuous.” In these ways, the romantic relationships throughout the novel are atypical and uniquely complex.
Though Chris and Emily spend time together doing the usual teenage things, the bond between them is much stronger than that of most teens. Chris takes very seriously the promise he makes to himself to protect Emily after she breaks her leg. This promise, however, becomes complicated when Emily confides in him regarding her feelings about suicide. Chris vows to keep them a secret and later promises to support Emily in her decision. Chris is unwilling to break this promise, and yet it conflicts with the earlier promise he made to himself. Ultimately, the gravity of the situation makes their relationship much more than just a teenage fling.
The Impact of Parental Expectations and Pressures
Both Emily and Chris struggle with dilemmas common to many teens in the late 20th century. Both sets of parents presume their teens, as successful students, will attend college. Melanie, in particular, urges Emily to apply to the Sorbonne—a prestigious art academy in Paris. Emily’s art teacher also feels that Emily has rare talent and urges her to set a high bar for her future.
Chris is particularly bothered by his father’s work ethic and intense focus on his career. He fears disappointing his father, whether that be in his inability to be unruffled when hunting a small animal or in his future academic and athletic endeavors. James, from Chris’s perspective, is perfect, having never made any sort of serious mistake in his past. In Chris’s view, his indictment for murder is the ultimate disappointment. At times, the stress Chris feels from parental expectations hints at the possibility that Chris could have indeed entered into a suicide pact with Emily.
The two teens also place pressure on each other. This is generally harmless and in good fun, such as the video-game battles they have as adolescents or when the two compete on the ski slopes as young teens. The Truth or Dare game Chris and Emily play also carries an expectation to “one up” or better the opponent and not to back down from a challenge. Though Chris certainly could not have predicted it, his dare to Emily to enter the men’s restroom at a fast-food restaurant results in Emily being sexually assaulted.
All four parents are highly supportive when the relationship shifts to a romantic one. Indeed, both Emily and Chris feel that not only do their parents believe their romance to be inevitable, but all parents envision Emily and Chris marrying one another one day. In this way, it is difficult for Emily in particular to discern whether she truly wishes to spend her life committed to Chris or if she merely wishes to please her parents, living out the life they wish for her to have.
Her inner thoughts and diary entries suggest that she does not wish to become sexually active, per se, but she feels that, because Chris desires this, it is inevitable that she must. Indeed, though Chris never physically forces Emily, his pleading and insistence on the strength of his love (and sexual desire) seems to guilt her into becoming sexually active. Similarly, Emily regards her pregnancy as the ultimate failure to meet her parents’ expectations of how her future should play out. Emily speaks of a lack of true choice in this matter, as if the expectations of others have already dictated what she should desire for herself. In this way, the pregnancy traps her, causing her to view suicide as a means of escaping life’s pressures.
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