Part 2, Section 5, " Mexico in the Waters" Summary

Ixca arranges the funeral of Rosanda, and buries her in the rain. His mother, Teodula, finally delivers the news to Rodrigo Pola after a long search.

Rodrigo shows little emotion, and passes his time instead inspecting his own face to see what image he projects to the outside world. Does he project strength and self-certainty, or mere changeability, he wonders. He convinces himself that he deliberately makes a bad first impression in order to then prove to people how they were wrong about him, and how they failed to perceive his greatness. His silly behavior at the party, his failure as a writer, his accident with the gas in his room, were all just part of a superior strategy. In reality, his exclusion comes from his excessive talent, he tells himself...