Chapters VIII and IX Summary

In Chapter VIII, the narrator explains that the change in Edith had started when she was home in St. Louis. At her father's funeral, she had remained calm and emotionless and afterwards she secluded herself for days in her room. Methodically, she went through her old childhood belongings and destroyed everything her father gave her. She decided she wanted to be a new person and destroyed almost all of her clothes and bought new ones with money borrowed from her mother.

Upon returning to Columbia, incensed perhaps at Stoner's own change, she begins to live her new life. She becomes involved in a theater company, volunteering her time to build sets and inviting over her friends frequently. For Stoner, life goes on as normal. He logs long hours working in his study while Grace plays or does...