72 pages • 2 hours read
Liane MoriartyBig Little Lies
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 78-84Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 78 Summary: "The Morning After the Trivia Night"
Madeline rests in the hospital with a broken ankle. Beside her, Ed tells Madeline he has an appointment to speak with the police. He doesn’t know if he can lie to them. Madeline tells him she understands his reasoning, “but sometimes doing the wrong thing was also right” (457)). Madeline still tries to persuade Ed. At the very least, they agree that they don’t think Bonnie intentionally killed Perry.
Nathan arrives. He tells Madeline that Abigail wants to move back home, in part to help Madeline while she recovers from her injury, but also because Abigail simply wants to be back with her mom. Nathan remarks “She missed her mum. We’re not her real life” (458). Nathan also tells them that Bonnie came from an abusive household, and the experience left her with post-traumatic stress. Seeing Perry hit Celeste set Bonnie off, and she reacted intensely.
Madeline understands. She accepts Nathan and Bonnie as members of their extended family and can’t imagine doing anything that would take Bonnie away from her daughter. Madeline tells Nathan they won’t say anything to the police for Bonnie’s sake. Ed doesn’t respond and leaves the hospital room.
Chapter 79 Summary
Chapter 80 Summary
Following Perry’s death, Celeste spends time with her boys and her mother. Bonnie comes to visit. She tells Celeste how sorry she is about what happened and the abuse she saw at home. Bonnie plans on going to the police and telling them the truth. She doesn’t want anyone to have to lie for her. Celeste says she would lie for Bonnie. Bonnie says she can tell Celeste is a good liar. Bonnie reaches out and lays a comforting arm on Celeste’s arm, and says “But you can stop now” (467), finalizing Celeste’s new freedom; freedom from lying, freedom from Perry.
Chapter 81 Summary
Celeste texts Madeline that Bonnie is going to tell the truth. Madeline immediately calls Ed and tells him he doesn’t have to lie to the police. Ed starts to cry, lamenting “You shouldn’t have asked that of me” (468). Hearing Ed, Madeline cries too. Ed was going to lie for her, but it still felt like too much to ask. Madeline apologizes.
Renata sends a letter to Ziggy. She apologizes to him. To help make amends, Renata invites Ziggy to Amabella’s next party, which is Star Wars themed, Ziggy’s favorite franchise.
Chapter 82 Summary: "Four Weeks After the Trivia Night"
A funeral is held for Perry. Jane attends and takes Ziggy, although she doesn’t tell Ziggy that it’s his father’s funeral. A thoughtful video plays showing the good side of Perry, and Jane tries to think of that positivity and not the violence that she and Celeste suffered. Jane looks to Celeste, who is red-faced, but not crying: “She looked like she was clenching her teeth, like she was waiting something out, for some awful pain to pass” (473). Jane can hardly comprehend the chaotic mixture of emotions running through Celeste. Jane later learns that Celeste plans on moving out of the house with the boys and into the apartment she found.
Later, Jane walks along the beach with Tom. They talk about a journalist who has been hanging around town, wanting to write about the murder, but they have no interest in speaking to her. They also mention that Bonnie confessed and it lifted a burden for everyone. As they walk, Jane can’t decide what her relationship is with Tom, if they are friends or if they will become something more. Tom spontaneously kisses Jane along the shore. In that moment, Jane is happy.
Chapter 83 Summary
The chapter is comprised of several testimonials from the community. After everything that happened, all the parents see how important it is to be nice to each other. The principal, Mrs. Lipmann says “I think perhaps we’ve all learned to be a little kinder to one another” (478). Renata is divorcing Geoff and is planning on moving to London with Amabella.
Chapter 84 Summary: "A Year After the Trivia Night"
After her confession, Bonnie stands trial. She is “found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by an unlawful and dangerous act” (483). She doesn’t serve jail time, however, and is instead assigned 200 hours of community service, which she happily completes, accompanied by Abigail.
Celeste moves with the boys into the apartment at McMahons Point. Celeste also goes back to work part-time at a family law firm. She sets up trust funds for Josh, Max, and Ziggy. Perry’s passing has been difficult on Celeste and her sons, but she has found that her friends and the boys’ teachers have been supportive and empathetic, helping her survive the worst of it.
Celeste attends an event on domestic violence with Susi. Celeste is scheduled to speak and tries fighting off her nerves. Beside her is a nervous man she assumes is a therapist, like Susi. Celeste admits to herself that part of her wishes Perry was there to root for her, that he’d be proud of her speaking in front of so many people. Earlier, Celeste had confessed to Susi “I still love him,” to which her therapist responded, “You’re allowed to still love him” (480). Part of Celeste will mourn and love Perry, and Celeste is learning that is okay.
Susi introduces Celeste for her speech. As Celeste goes to the podium, she realizes the man beside her is also a victim of domestic violence. Celeste wishes to tell the man that she understands his turmoil. She wants to help give him confidence in his daily life. Emboldened by her sympathetic energy, Celeste confidently starts her speech. The novel ends with Celeste’s opening statement: “This can happen to anyone” (486).
Chapters 77-84 Analysis
The last seven chapters wrap up all the loose ends and resolve all the plotlines. In this regard, the novel’s varying perspectives prove beneficial. The story has long established that it will jump back and forth between all the main characters. Checking in on Madeline, Jane, and Celeste one last time is therefore satisfying and seamless within the novel’s established narrative structure. The characters all find closure with their prospective familial and personal issues. All of them are stronger women and have changed for the better. Madeline is more accepting of Nathan and willingly turns her attention to Ed, who she has spent so much time distracted from. Jane is more confident than ever and feels healthy enough to begin a romantic relationship with Tom. Celeste, who spent so much of novel withdrawn and secretive, is now willing to tell complete strangers her story at the domestic violence conference. In writing a longer novel, nearing close to 500 pages, Moriarty elects to give her characters closure and positive endings. The tone of the ending is happy and strong, neatly wrapping up the story and avoiding ambiguities. In its cleanly executed ending, Big Little Lies strives to resolve itself in a satisfying way with a positive tone.
Furthermore, in telling a clean and complete story, the final message of Big Little Lies rings all the louder. Chapter 84, the final chapter, might be the most important. Here, Celeste’s inner turmoil remains complex. She loves Perry, always has, and recognizes that allowing herself to love him is necessary for her to heal and move on. Celeste’s nuanced interiority shows that Big Little Lies wants to be respectful in its portrayal of victims of domestic violence. This is additionally evident when Celeste realizes the man beside her is also a victim of domestic violence. Celeste is surprised; she never would have guessed, the same way none of her friends guessed the horrors she faced at home. All these details combine to increase the impact of the final line: “This can happen to anyone” (486). Through Celeste’s harrowing journey, Moriarty has shown how true that statement is. In closing the novel this way, the final line also serves as a message to the reader, encouraging us to keep our eyes and hearts open for those in need.
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