Summary

Justine and Catherine’s friendship grows deeper and deeper. Justine invites Catherine to join her women’s club. They attend a poetry reading by Adrienne Rich, where Catherine “felt something unlock inside of her, a part of her set free” (267). George is very dismissive of Catherine’s new interests, and asks her if she thinks Justine is gay. He tells her that Justine has “had an influence” on her, and he is “not convinced it’s a good one (268). George reflects that he does not dislike Justine at all, but he finds his wife’s “transformation disturbing” (270), with her “bulky Wranglers and flannel shirts” (270).

After their awkward encounter in the woods, George has been avoiding Justine on campus, though she has urgently been trying to tell him something. She tells him she’s “a little worried...