In Lessons in Chemistry, author Bonnie Garmus brings to life the story of Elizabeth Zott, a chemist navigating the challenges of pursuing a career as a scientist in the mid 20th century in the United States. Elizabeth's journey is one of identity and persistence, as she pushes against societal norms that constrain women to the roles of wife and mother.
elizabeth zott - the heroine in a labcoat
The story is set on a backdrop when women were expected to be primarily homemakers, and any professional aspirations they had were often dismissed or ignored. For Elizabeth, this meant navigating a world that didn't necessarily value or appreciate her intellectual capacity and talents in the sciences. She was often pressured to conform to traditional gender roles. Despite this, Elizabeth pushed against the norms, striving to live a life that was true to herself. In the book, it seems like her identity (self) and her identity as a scientist were one and the same as considered in her approaches to her work, and her relationships.
Her journey is a reminder of the freedoms that we often take for granted today, and yet some of her struggles persist.
Elizabeth incurred the cost of pushing back against societal norms. At the start of the book, her tenacity is apparent, but as each incident eroded on her psyche, her patience and tolerance wore thin— these were not without consequence to her career, personal life and the safety of her loved ones. Her persistence through challenges lends itself to a different form of heroism. Despite her clear merit (and unique form of superpower!), her personal and career struggles illustrate the limitations one may face that cannot be conquered through mastery of the self, but require a set of systemic changes to create meaningful outcomes.
open questions about an alternate world…
The backdrop of the story made me wonder about the many women of this time that were not as lucky as Elizabeth to have had been surrounded by others who believed in them. What hopes and dreams were never realized as the pressures to conform to the role of wife and mother prevailed? What world would we live in if 50% of the population had better access to innovative or lucrative careers, instead of participating in the unpaid (but core) economy?
Much of the book outlines that the constraints we have on ourselves are not those of science or biology, more specifically. We are the product of our histories and cultures, after all.