Henrietta’s Cells (Symbol)
At the surface level, Henrietta’s cells are symbolic of scientific innovation and progress. It is because of her cells that researchers were able to develop drugs for diseases like herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, etc. However, as Skloot explores in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Henrietta’s cells also symbolize the complicated history between Black people and science, ethics and morals in science, and the limitations of the legal system.
Technological Progress (Motif)
Besides being the story of Henrietta Lacks, her family, and her legacy, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks is also a chronicle of the technological progress science made from the mid to late 20th century. Time and time again Skloot points out the many “firsts” that happen in the book. For example, when Gey successfully sends Henrietta’s cells in the mail to another researcher, Skloot notes it was the first time live cells were successfully shipped in the mail. This is just the first of many scientific advances. Others include the ability to freeze cells, leading to a standardization of the tissue culture field, which meant that scientists could replicate each other's work. As replication is one of the core tenets of accredited scientific work, this was no small feat. Cloning is another big technological milestone marked in the book, as before scientists could clone Dolly the sheep, they had to discover how to clone Henrietta’s cells (Pg. 156).
Paranoia (Motif)
Another central motif in the book is paranoia. While all of the Lackses are paranoid about scientists stealing their cells, it is Deborah who epitomizes paranoia in Skloot’s book. Her paranoia is multifaceted. After the lawsuit debacle with Cofield, Deborah is convinced that Cofield may send people to steal Henrietta’s few remaining artifacts. When she is invited to speak onstage at the National Foundation for Cancer Research’s annual conference, Deborah is petrified that a sniper might be hired to assassinate her in revenge for her causing trouble about her mother’s cells (Pg. 398). Finally, Deborah is constantly second-guessing Skloot’s motives and agenda. In one particularly charged episode of paranoia, Deborah gets physical with Skloot and accuses her of working at John Hopkins hospital. Though sometimes frustrating for Skloot and other characters in the book, the paranoid nature of Deborah and her family are reasonable reactions given the circumstances.
Dancing (symbol)
One of the questions that Deborah asks about her mother is if she liked to dance (pg. 62). Rebecca Skloot's interviews with Henrietta's cousins Sadie and Margaret reveal that Henrietta did indeed love to dance; the three would often spend weekend nights dancing at local juke-joints (pg. 29).
This symbol reveals how far removed Deborah has become from her mother, and also shows Henrietta's ability to find joy in life even in the direst circumstances.
The Photo of Henrietta Lacks (motif)
Rebecca Skloot keeps a photo of the young Henrietta Lacks on her wall as she writes. In the photo, Henrietta "Looks straight into the camera and smiles, hands on hips, dress suit neatly pressed, lips painted deep red. It’s the late 1940s and she hasn’t yet reached the age of thirty. Her light brown skin is smooth, her eyes still young and playful, oblivious to the tumor growing inside her—a tumor that would leave her five children motherless and change the future of medicine" (pg. 1).
This photo appears numerous times throughout the book—Courtney Speed keeps a copy of it, Deborah is shocked to find it in a biology textbook, and so on. This photo of such a young and vibrant woman is a recurring motif that represents Rebecca Skloot's efforts to humanize Henrietta, whose name has been forgotten even by the scientists who use her cells in research.
