Lab Girl

Plants carry the symbolic weight of the memoir. Every chapter on plants ties directly into Jahren’s personal and professional trajectory throughout the book. Through this method of comparison, Jahren underscores the closeness she feelswith the plant world.

As a child, Jahren has a particular affinity for the blue-tinged spruce, saying: “I remember its needles as sharp and angry against the white snow and gray sky; it seemed a perfect role model of the stoicism being cultivated in me” (27). Jahren grew up in a sometimes quiet, cold family environment and thus identifies with the tree that is “stoic,” as she must be.

During the early years of her career, Jahren focuses a great deal on the adversity experienced by trees. She notes:“Plants have far more enemies than can be counted” (104). Just as plants must contend with such enemies as insects and the environment, Jahren herself must contend with enemies such as misogynyand mental health issues. She goes on to say:“The life of a deciduous tree is ruled by its annual budget” (120). If a tree does not grow as much as it’s supposed to and meet all its marks, it will die. So, too, is Jahren controlled by her budget. She goes into depth about her grant funding, from applying for the money to making sure the money covers all of her costs and salary.

Plants must be strong to survive, just as “[a] vine finds its way to the sun using not wood, but pure grit and undiluted gall” (126). Here, Jahren’s personification of the vine makes it seem that it must be dedicated in order to survive. Jahren herself works incredibly hard, especially during the early years of her career. She sometimes works for two days straight, spurred on by pure dedication and, at times, mania.

Jahren finds some peace and rest later in her career. She affirms: “These plants know that when your world is changing rapidly, it is important to have identified the one thing that you can always count upon” (193). For trees, it is light. For Jahren, it is Bill and her family.