Another Country: Book 2, Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Summer arrives, and Vivaldo is getting fed up with his apartment. Both he and Ida are trying to pursue their artistic passions in a small space and there is not enough room for both of them. Additionally, Ida’s singing and her skin color regularly attract unwanted attention from Vivaldo’s neighbors. Vivaldo wants to move, but Ida is strongly against the idea. Not only do they not have the money, but Ida does not want to end up somewhere where she feels unsafe.

Although Vivaldo has stopped bringing it up, he still feels that Ida and Ellis are having an affair. Additionally, Vivaldo and Ida fight with some regularity, often about race. One day, Vivaldo and Ida go out to meet Cass and Eric, who are continuing to carry out an affair of their own. The two couples are going to see a movie in which Eric has a small role.

On the way to the theater, Ida talks disapprovingly about Cass and Eric’s relationship. In particular, she is disappointed in Cass for betraying her family. Ida is fond of Richard and does not like that Cass is going behind his back. Additionally, she does not approve of Eric and makes degrading remarks about his sexuality.

Vivaldo gets angry with Ida because he does not feel she has earned the right to comment on Eric or Cass’s choices. Additionally, he thinks that Ida does not like Eric because she knows Eric had a relationship with Rufus. He suspects that Ida blames Eric, in part, for her brother’s death and says so. Ida admits that he is correct and confirms that she knows plenty about her brother’s sexuality and past relationship. However, more than anything else, Ida believes that the general behavior of white people toward Black people is the reason for her brother’s death.

Before Vivaldo and Ida’s argument can get too heated, they run into Cass and Eric. Cass is excited because of some good news Eric recently received. Eric asks her to wait until later to tell everyone, but she begs him to let her say it immediately. Eric gives in, and Cass informs everyone that Eric just got a call from his agent. Apparently, a major studio has offered Eric a leading part in an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Possessed. Vivaldo and Ida both congratulate Eric on the accomplishment. Internally, Vivaldo feels a bit jealous but is ultimately quite happy for his friend.

The group enters the theater and watches the French movie, where Eric plays a small part. Indeed, Eric is barely in the film and only gets out a few lines. However, afterward, everyone agrees that Eric did as much as he possibly could with the material he was given. Eric thanks everyone for the compliments, though he does not seem fully confident in himself. Nonetheless, he is happy and excited about the opportunity his small role in the movie provided him with.

Following the movie, the group goes to get a drink. No one has much to say and, eventually, Ida and Cass leave Eric and Vivaldo alone. Ida points out that the men have not had a chance to talk one-on-one since Eric’s return. After the women leave, Eric and Vivaldo make small talk, largely regarding Eric’s film career. Some time passes and then Eric invites Vivaldo back to his apartment so they can talk and drink further.

Once they are in Eric’s apartment, Vivaldo asks Eric about his feelings for Cass. Eric says he is not in love with Cass, even though he cares for her very much. Eric’s answer surprises Vivaldo. Vivaldo asks Eric if he thinks Cass is in love with him. Eric says he knows Cass enjoys his company, but, like him, she understands their arrangement is only temporary.

Then, Eric says that love is a tricky concept to nail down; he is not sure how one knows when one is in love with someone. As if to prove his point, he asks Vivaldo if he is in love with Ida. Vivaldo answers in the affirmative right away. Vivaldo’s response makes Eric realizes that perhaps the problem is not love—it is him.

Eric explains that he is going through a confusing time in his life. Yves is about to arrive in New York, and he is scared about what that means for their relationship. In particular, he is not sure what to do about Cass and what he should tell Yves. Vivaldo is similarly confused about how to progress in his relationship. Although he loves Ida very much, he thinks she lets race get in the middle of their love. He feels as though Ida is constantly trying to push him away and punish him because he is white.

Vivaldo’s mention of Ida leads the conversation toward Rufus. Vivaldo shares a memory with Eric from the night he had to remove Leona from Rufus’s apartment. Later that night, after Vivaldo had calmed Rufus down, Rufus was lying in bed. While in bed, Rufus made eye contact with Vivaldo, and Vivaldo noticed a tenderness in his eyes. In that moment, Vivaldo realized that Rufus desperately needed someone to hold him.

Wanting to help his friend, Vivaldo crawled into the bed and held him tight all night long. The memory still haunts Vivaldo because of how anguished Rufus seemed in the moment. Nonetheless, he is glad he could provide some support for his friend. He is also happy that Eric returned to New York, so he finally had someone who he could share the memory with. He feels like Eric is the only person in the world who could possibly understand its significance.  

After Eric and Vivaldo finish getting everything off their chests, Vivaldo falls back onto Eric’s bed and falls asleep. Eric partially undresses his sleeping friend and then lies next to him in bed. As Eric lays in bed, he thinks about Yves’s letter and what he will say to him when he arrives in New York.

Meanwhile, shortly after Cass and Ida leave Vivaldo and Eric, Ida convinces Cass to come to a bar with her to meet Ellis. Although Cass is unsure at first, she senses that Ida needs someone to talk to—even if that someone is a white woman. On their way to the bar, Cass and Ida discuss Ida’s relationship with Vivaldo. Ida admits that, although she likes Vivaldo very much, she cannot see herself marrying him. Cass asks Ida if she is hesitant to marry Vivaldo because he is white. 

Ida explains it is not Vivaldo’s skin color that is the problem—it is hers. What she means by this is that, because she is Black, Vivaldo cannot understand her struggle and never will. She knows this is the case because Vivaldo was Rufus’s best friend, and he never managed to wrap his mind around Rufus’s struggle either. Ida knows that Vivaldo means well, but she does not think he, nor Cass, will ever be able to empathize with Ida’s position as much as she needs them to. As such, she thinks her relationship with Vivaldo will soon come to an end, just like Cass’s relationship with Eric.

When Ida enters the bar, still dressed in her waitressing outfit, a white host greets her with suspicion. Once she explains she is there to meet Ellis, the host changes his attitude and quickly points her in the right direction. Ida and Cass find Ellis sitting at a table with two other couples, one white and one Black. The other couples question Cass about Richard’s novel, and she answers their questions politely, though she does not care about them.

Several times throughout the conversation, Ellis and Ida reference Cass’s loyalty to Richard. Cass raises an eyebrow at these remarks, especially when they come from Ida, who she knows is being dishonest, seemingly for her own amusement. In the middle of the conversation, Ida takes Ellis out to the dance floor. One of the other couples remarks that Ellis’s wife would not like it if she saw what her husband was getting up to. Cass assures the couple that there is nothing untoward going on between Ellis and Ida, though she is beginning to wonder whether that is true. 

On the dance floor, Ida begins speeding up her pace. Cass can tell she is purposely going too fast for Ellis, making him look like a fool. Cass wonders if this is some sort of revenge on Ida’s part. Following the dance, they return to their seats at the table. Cass takes the opportunity to excuse herself, saying she must get home to Richard. Again, Ellis takes a moment to point out what a loyal wife Cass is to Richard. Then, he offers to walk her outside and hail her a cab.

When Cass enters her apartment, she sees the lights are still on and Richard is asleep on the couch with a bottle of alcohol sitting next to him. Richard’s presence concerns Cass because usually he falls asleep in his study. She wonders whether he was waiting up to speak with her.

Cass goes to check on Michael and Paul. She finds them fast asleep in their beds. When Cass looks at Paul, his size shocks her. He has grown up so fast, making her wonder where the time has gone. At least for the moment, Michael still seems as little and helpless as ever, which somehow provides Cass with some comfort.

After she finishes checking on the boys, Cass returns to the living room where she sees that Richard is now sitting up, awake. She asks Richard why he feel asleep out in the living room. Instead of responding directly, Richard tells Cass to pour both of them a drink. Cass does as he asks and then sits down, mentally preparing herself for the difficult conversation she knows is coming.

Richard asks Cass why she has come home so late. Cass sarcastically responds that she always comes home late—it is nothing new for her. Richard does not appreciate her tone and repeats his question. Cass tells him that she was out with Ida. Richard immediately fires back by asking if Vivaldo was with them. Cass explains that Vivaldo was around for a while, but then she and Ida left to get drinks with Ellis.

Suspicious of Cass’s story, Richard asks her if she came directly home after getting drinks with Ellis and Ida. Truthfully, Cass says that she did. Seeing that Richard does not believe, Cass tells him that, if he wants to ask her something specific, then he should do so. In response, Richard tells Cass he loves her and does not understand why she has become so distant. Then, he reveals that he thinks she is having an affair with Vivaldo.

Cass is darkly amused when she realizes Richard thinks she is having an affair with Vivaldo rather than Eric. She promises Richard that she is not having an affair with Vivaldo, though she knows Richard has always been jealous of him. In response, Richard says that he has a right to be jealous of Vivaldo because Cass has always admired Vivaldo more than him. Cass admits that this is the truth, but she claims love and admiration have nothing to do with each other. Richard disagrees and does not see how Cass could believe such a thing.

Again, Richard pushes Cass to admit she is having sex with Vivaldo and, again, she denies the charge. Richard wants to know why she spends so much time with Vivaldo if they are not sleeping together. Cass tells him he is being foolish; after all, she says, Ida is always around when she is with Vivaldo. Here, Richard catches Cass in a lie. He knows Ida is often not around when Cass is supposedly with Vivaldo because Ida is having an affair with Ellis. 

This news shocks Cass. She did not know about Ida’s affair. Richard mocks her for being so blind; according to him, everyone in town knows except for her and Vivaldo. He thinks the reason they have not noticed is because they are sleeping together. Now that she has been caught in a lie, Cass takes a moment to think about how to proceed. She feels she needs to tell Richard something, so their relationship can move forward, for better or for worse.

After taking a moment to gather herself, Cass tells Richard the truth about her affair with Eric. Richard is taken aback. He cannot believe that, of all people, Cass chose to cheat on him with Eric. Hoping to hurt Cass, Richard tells her that Eric would much sooner be with a man than her if given the choice. Cass says that she liked being with Eric because he has “a sense of himself.”

Cass’s words throw Richard into a rage. He starts yelling at her about all of the work he has done to preserve their marriage. In particular, he points out that he has been faithful and developed a lucrative career for her benefit. Now, Richard cannot help but despise Cass because he feels that everything he has built disgusts her.

Cass urges Richard to calm down because she does not want him to wake up Paul and Michael. However, her remark only makes Richard more upset. He starts hurling vulgar language at Cass and then slaps her twice in the face with all his might. After hitting Cass, Richard immediately retreats, ashamed of what he has done. Cass retreats to the bathroom to treat her wounds. She hopes the swelling will go down so she will not have to discuss the injuries with her children or her friends.