Summary

In Chapter 9, the narrator drank and smoked more and more. Lonely, she relied on the cat’s company. She and Aida continued seeing each other, but they became “gentler with one another” in the wake of Kandinsky’s dinner (152).

The narrator realized what was most important to the mountain was the employer’s list and each resident’s placement on the list. Meanwhile, the narrator’s concept of returning to America became increasingly abstract (153).

During a community hunt, the narrator bumped into the employer while out for a smoke. They began talking about the employer’s upbringing. He compared his to Aida’s, who he believed did not understand “that it is the group, not the individual, that ensures the continuation of the species” (159). He urged the narrator to keep Aida close.

The narrator rejoined the group when the hunters returned. Suddenly, the...