XXXVI explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Obsession

  Stroeve's devoted yet painful vigil for Blanche, who refuses to see him, highlights the destructive side of love.

• The Artist as Outcast

  Blanche's isolation and tragic end reflect the outcast status of those entangled with Strickland's artistic obsession.

Characters to notice

• Dirk Stroeve

  Visits the hospital twice daily, exhausted and grieving over Blanche's impending death.

• Blanche Stroeve

  Lies still in the hospital, refusing to speak, and dies from acid burns.

• The Narrator

  Provides comfort to Stroeve, letting him rest on the sofa, and covers him as he sleeps.

Key passages

• “The next week was dreadful. Stroeve went twice a day to the hospital to enquire after his wife, who still declined to see him; and came away at first relieved and hopeful because he was told that she seemed to be growing better, and then in despair because, the complication which the doctor had feared having ensued, recovery was impossible.”

  The following week was terrible. Stroeve visited the hospital twice daily to check on his wife, who refused to see him. He left initially relieved and hopeful when told she seemed to improve, but then fell into despair when the feared complication made recovery impossible.

  Summarizes Stroeve's emotional rollercoaster during Blanche's final days.

• “Her mouth and chin were all burnt by the acid. It was awful to see her lovely skin all wounded. She died very peacefully, so that I didn’t know she was dead till the sister told me.”

  Her mouth and chin were severely burned by the acid. It was horrifying to see her beautiful skin scarred. She died so calmly that I didn't realize she had passed until the nurse informed me.

  Describes the physical aftermath of Blanche's suicide and her peaceful death.