Chapter 3 Summary

Catherine tries to please David by suggesting they go to Africa, but he tells her it is the wrong season. He also nixes a trip to Spain. They decide to stay in France because Catherine wants to get a very dark tan. David lays awake thinking about writing. He worries that he has sold something precious for the money, for Catherine's money.

Chapter 3 Analysis

Catherine is aware that David wants to go to Africa. He will, although he will do it through his short stories, not as Catherine's traveling companion. Catherine's aggression in bed is emasculating partly because she is also supporting the couple financially. Although David finds Catherine's tan exciting, it also makes him uncomfortable. It seems like a very masculine thing to do. Catherine's preoccupation with tanning foreshadows the 'darkness' in their relationship, what David sees as her growing insanity.