What happened to Anya in ‘Mouthwashing’? Pregnancy, ending, and that Jimmy reveal explained

Anya is a critical cog in the story, with her actions baked into the Tulpar’s crash, the crew’s fates, and the villain’s actions. Here’s a recap of what happened to her, and how the sympathetic character’s fate is left.

What happened to Anya before the crash

Anya was the ship’s medical nurse, taking charge of medicinal supplies, nursing injuries, and conducting psychological evaluations on other crew mates. She was characterized as kind and smart, though very gloomy and reserved after surviving rape (which we never see, but is heavily implied).

Though she seemed to have been friendly with all the crew, her closest relationship was with Captain Curly, who she confided in following Curly’s assault, which resulted in a pregnancy. Curly asked her to let him handle the situation to avoid it escalating, but Anya chose to confront Jimmy herself and tell him about the pregnancy.

Jimmy told her to “take care of it,” and offered no , likely knowing that a baby would result in him being held able for his actions. After all, the timing of the conception meant the baby would be carried to term before the end of the voyage.

Between that realization and the stress of the crew’s impending layoffs, which Curly revealed at his birthday party, Jimmy attempts murder-suicide and steers the ship into an asteroid. When they survive, he blames it on Curly.

After the crash

Anya is incredibly sheepish after the crash, especially considering evil incarnate Jimmy has declared himself the new captain, meaning the worst person to be in a position of power now holds the most revered title on the vessel.

Jimmy continuously doesn’t take her medical knowledge seriously, doubting her skills can keep Curly, who is running on fumes and painkillers, alive. He also makes lewd comments and belittles her during his psychological evaluations with her.

Anya has a flight response around Jimmy, often being startled by his sudden appearance, trying to keep him calm, and playing conversations safe so as to not anger him. She’s in a living nightmare. She’s also tasked with feeding Curly his painkillers but is very uncomfortable doing it, so Jimmy often ends up doing the honors. It’s unclear whether her discomfort was due to thinking Curly had crashed the ship, or whether it was due to the general horror of the predicament.

Anya’s death

Under immense stress from her unplanned pregnancy, suffering abuse from Jimmy, and watching the crew slowly going insane, Anya eventually dies by suicide using medication on board. She was left without her most trusted companion (Curly) so had nobody to turn to when things got too much.

Her death is tragic, but there’s also a hint of implied defiance in it: the unwillingness to bear a child under these circumstances, no longer wanting to enable Jimmy’s bad behavior, and refusing to turn violent and cruel.