The Dark Other · Chapter
II: Science of Mind explained
Patricia Lane and Dr.
What happens
Patricia Lane and Dr. Carl Horker engage in a playful, intellectual banter about psychiatry, love, and generational values. Pat reveals she is infatuated with a mysterious, gentle yet commanding man named Nicholas Devine, whom she considers a genius. Dr. Horker expresses skepticism and curiosity, noting a possible connection to a deceased, unbalanced colleague named Dr. Devine. The chapter ends with Horker planning to meet Nick that evening.
Themes in this chapter
Science vs. Superstition
Dr. Horker defends psychiatry as a 'definite science' while Pat jokingly dismisses it as 'applesauce,' illustrating the tension between scientific and skeptical views.
Generational Conflict
Pat and Horker's banter highlights differing values: Pat's generation seeks to replace old values with their own, while Horker's generation bequeathed 'solid values' they don't know how to use.
Love and Sacrifice
Pat's description of Nick's dual nature—gentle yet commanding—and Horker's clinical reduction of love to biological urges explores the complexity of romantic attraction.
Characters to notice
- Patricia Lane
Engages in witty debate with Dr. Horker, defends her new love interest Nick, and dismisses past flings as puppy love.
- Dr. Carl Horker
Acts as a father figure to Pat, discusses psychiatry as a science, and expresses concern about Nick's background.
- Nicholas Devine
Mentioned as Pat's new love interest; described as gentle, sensitive, yet commanding, and possibly a genius writer.
- Mrs. Lane
Mentioned as Pat's mother, who is out playing bridge and is a patient of Dr. Horker.
- Billy
Referenced as a past romantic interest of Pat's, and as the one who introduced Nick to Pat's literary circle.
Key passages
“Psychiatry! The new religion! Just between friends, it's all applesauce, isn't it?”
Pat dismisses psychiatry as nonsense, comparing it to a trendy belief system.
Pat's skepticism toward psychiatry sets up the chapter's central debate.
“He's so sweet and gentle and manageable most of the time, but sometimes he has such a thrilling spark of mastery that it almost scares me.”
Pat describes Nick's dual personality as both tender and dominantly captivating.
Foreshadows Nick's dual nature and the theme of duality.
“If you'd known anything about it, you could have married mother some time during the last seventeen years.”
Pat teases Horker for his failed romantic pursuit of her mother.
Highlights Horker's unrequited feelings and his role as a surrogate father.