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Book 2, Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Another Country, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race in America
Love and Sexuality
High Art vs. Low Art
Alienation and New York City
Summary
Analysis
Vivaldo has strange and troubling nightmares. He dreams something or someone he does not understand is pursuing him. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Eric’s bed. Eric is kissing his neck, and Vivaldo tries to recall how he ended up in this situation. Eric’s advances compel Vivaldo to have sex with him. It is an experience he very much enjoys, and afterwards he feels like he has a new perspective on himself and his sexual interests.
Vivaldo’s sexual encounter with Eric is surprising for a number of reasons. First, he previously told Harold that he was no longer interested in sleeping with men. Second, and more importantly, he has spent the last few months of his life worried that Ida is going to cheat on him; now, almost out of nowhere, he decides to cheat on her.
Themes
After sex, Vivaldo realizes he is in love with Eric. He wonders whether there could possibly be a future between them, given their current relationships with other people. Vivaldo and Eric have a brief discussion about their feelings for each other. Both seem to love the other, though there is some hesitancy on each end.
Although Vivaldo and Eric think they are in love with each other, it is difficult to trust either one of them. Both are quick to jump from person to person in search of finding love.
Themes
Before their conversation can go too far, the telephone rings. Eric answers it to find Cass on the other end. Cass fills him in on what happened between her and Richard the night before. After hanging up the telephone, Eric explains to Vivaldo what happened and then starts getting ready so he can go meet Cass. Before Eric leaves, he and Vivaldo have breakfast together and again try to make sense of their situation. When Vivaldo brings up Ida, Eric gets a strange look in his eye but does not say anything.
Eric and Vivaldo’s budding relationship will have to wait while Eric tends to one of his other relationships. Additionally, Eric’s response when Vivaldo asks him about Ida implies that Cass told Eric about Ida’s affair when speaking to him on the phone. Evidently, Eric does not think this is the right time and place to tell Vivaldo the truth.
Themes
During breakfast, Eric’s agent calls and tells him that he has booked a big audition for him. As Eric hangs up the phone, he is happy that at least one part of his life is not a mess. He tells Vivaldo the good news and the two men toast to his success. After breakfast, Eric leaves to go meet Cass and figure out what to do next.
Even though everything else is falling apart, Eric has still managed to establish himself in New York. If he can put his love life together, there is a bright future for him and whomever he decides to be with.
Themes
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Meanwhile, Vivaldo waits around in Eric’s apartment, thinking about his recent experience and wondering if he should call Ida. He knows she will likely be concerned because she has not heard from him. Before he gets the chance, Ida calls Vivaldo at Eric’s apartment, demanding to know where he has been. Vivaldo explains that he and Eric got drunk and passed out.
Although Vivaldo often gets angry with Ida for disappearing, he has a tendency to do the same thing. Additionally, now he has the added guilt of having committed the same act he has been accusing Ida of for the majority of their relationship.
Themes
Ida asks Vivaldo if he has heard from Cass. Vivaldo tells her what he knows. After, Ida warns Vivaldo that Richard is mad at him because he feels betrayed. Vivaldo finds Richard’s anger annoying. He thinks of Eric and Cass as his friends, whereas Richard is a mere acquaintance. Ida reminds him that, regardless of how he feels, Richard sees the situation differently. Because Vivaldo knew Richard before Eric—and because Eric was gone for so long—Richard expects Vivaldo to side with him. Nonetheless, Vivaldo does not feel as if he has done anything wrong.
Richard feels that everyone in his life has turned on him for no apparent reason. Because Vivaldo and Eric were never open about how they felt about Richard, Richard has no reason to believe that they would stab him in the back. Vivaldo may not feel that he has done anything wrong, but he did betray someone who considered him a friend, even if the feeling was not mutual.
Themes
Ida recommends that Vivaldo return to their apartment. She does not think Richard will show up there because she told him that Vivaldo was away visiting family. Vivaldo agrees and then hangs up the phone. Before he can leave Eric’s apartment, a courier delivers a telegram for Eric from Yves. The telegram inspires Vivaldo to write his own note for Eric, thanking him for a good time. After he finishes the note, Vivaldo leaves and makes his way back to his own apartment.
Neither Ida nor Vivaldo think it is a good idea for Vivaldo to confront Richard. Earlier in the novel, Vivaldo felt the need to stick by Rufus at the lowest point in his life; he does not feel the same about Richard. Meanwhile, Yves’s telegram is a reminder that Vivaldo and Eric’s relationship could only ever be exactly what it was: a one-night fling.
Themes
Meanwhile, Eric and Cass meet inside a museum where they do not think Richard will come looking for them. Cass recaps her explosive argument with Richard. Apparently, Richard is now threatening divorce and wants to have Paul and Michael taken away from her. Cass does not think Richard is serious—at least regarding the kids. However, she knows Richard wants to hurt her in the same way she hurt him, which is frightening.
Of all of Baldwin’s characters, Cass is the one who, for the majority of the novel, always felt in control of her situation. However, now her life is just as chaotic as everyone else’s; she knows she has behaved poorly and that there may be severe consequences. However, she also knows that, although Richard is hurt, he is not a monster and wants what is best for his children.
Themes
As Cass talks, Eric begins to feel bad. He realizes that he was never in love with Cass. Rather, he only had an affair with her “to find out something about himself.” He does not like that he used Cass so selfishly, even if he did not realize what he was doing until after the fact. As Eric comes to terms with what he has done, Cass contemplates the future. She hopes that she and Richard can stay together for the kids and make things work. However, she sees the world as a difficult place that is isolating and harsh. She wonders whether she will be able to withstand it. Ultimately, she knows that she will have to try no matter what—that is all she can do.
Eric’s realization in this moment, as selfish as it sounds, is an honest reflection of how nearly every character in the book uses sex. Cass sleeps with Eric to distract herself from her failing marriage, Ida sleeps with Ellis to advance her career, Rufus sleeps with Leona as a form of revenge against white people, and Eric sleeps with Cass to learn something about himself. Although this interpretation is perhaps overly simplistic, it is still the kind of realization that can only come from experience, as Eric tries to disentangle love from lust.
Themes
On the other side of town, Vivaldo makes it back to his apartment to find Ida cooking breakfast. Although he is happy to see her, he notices there is something off about her demeanor. He can tell she is sad, though he does not know why. After talking with Ida for a moment, Vivaldo realizes there is something she is not telling him. He asks her what is bothering her.
Ida knows that Vivaldo will soon find out about her affair with Ellis now that Cass and Eric know the truth. She realizes that she has to tell Vivaldo that she has been doing exactly what Vivaldo has been accusing her of since the start of their relationship.
Themes
Ida says she has been thinking about Rufus’s death and the terrible impact it has had on her life. She remembers how bright and sweet Rufus was as a child, and she watched him grow hard because the world treated him so cruelly. She is worried that the world will do something similar to her, and she does not want to end up like Rufus did.
Ida senses herself spiraling and seems to understand her brother in a way she didn’t before. Perhaps her relationship with Ellis (or with Vivaldo) reminds her of how Rufus treated Leona and Eric, and she does not want to go down a similar path.
Themes
Ida explains that the reason she has trouble fully committing herself to Vivaldo is largely due to her pent up rage toward white people. She does not hate white people all of the time. However, when Ida sees something that reminds her of the circumstances that led to her brother’s death, she cannot help but express her rage. She feels that this is something Vivaldo will never fully grasp, no matter how hard he tries.
Here, Ida demonstrates an admirable level of self-awareness, even if she cannot fully communicate her feelings to Vivaldo. Since the beginning of the novel, Baldwin has been asking whether it is possible for these people in this time and place to overcome the question of race in their personal relationships; for Ida, the answer is no.
Themes
At this point, Ida admits to Vivaldo that she has been sleeping with Ellis to help her career. She sees her affair with Ellis as a kind of revenge against the types of people who took her brother’s life. Ida believes that white men tend to treat black women like sex workers, so she decided to act the part as a form of revenge and a way to get ahead in the world. Although Ida found her revenge somewhat satisfying at first, she feels bad that Vivaldo got tangled up in it. She tells him that he is not the type of person she wanted to hurt. Indeed, she cares very much for Vivaldo and is sad that their relationship cannot work out.
Ida’s confession to Vivaldo comes off as far more genuine and self-aware than Cass’s confession to Richard. Richard had to catch Cass in a lie and pull the truth out of her. Meanwhile, Ida openly states what she did and why she did it. Of course, her hand was partially forced because she knew Vivaldo would soon find out the truth on his own. However, she makes the best of a bad situation because, as she says, she never wanted to see Vivaldo get hurt.
Themes
Furthermore, Ida tells Vivaldo that she ended her affair with Ellis the previous night. While performing at the bar, her fellow musicians shamed her for having sex with Ellis. Following her performance, Ida went home with Ellis and slept with him one final time. In doing so, she realized that she had not achieved revenge at all; rather, she had become yet another victim of the same system that took Rufus’s life.
In trying to take control of her life, Ida realizes that she became what she detests. Early in the novel, Ida yells at Vivaldo for treating all Black woman like they are sex workers, and now she sees that she has fallen prey to a similar mentality. No matter how hard she tries to gain power, she still ends up the victim.
Themes
After Ida finishes her story, she breaks down crying. Vivaldo does his best to comfort her, though he is having a hard time processing everything she just told him. A few minutes later, Ida gets up and goes to the bathroom while Vivaldo fixes her some coffee. He still does not know how to feel about what Ida just told him. However, on the bright side, he finally thinks he has some valuable insight that he can use for his novel.
Vivaldo is not angry with Ida, perhaps because he knew this was coming and also because he had a brief affair of his own. Notably, Ida’s confession coincides with Vivaldo’s insight for his novel. This suggests that, although this moment might be painful, Vivaldo has gained something valuable from it.
Themes
While Vivaldo is lost in thought, the phone rings. Vivaldo picks it up and hears Eric’s voice. Eric says that Cass plans to go and see her family in New England for a little while, so the situation has time to cool down. At the moment, he still does not know Richard’s location, though he suspects he is out somewhere with Ellis.
At this point, all of the affairs in the novel are done: Cass and Eric are finished, as are Ida and Ellis, while Eric and Vivaldo never really got started. With everyone broken up, Baldwin leaves the future ambiguous.
Themes
Vivaldo asks Eric if Cass told him about Ida and Ellis’s affair during their morning phone call. Eric admits that she did and apologizes for not telling Vivaldo. He thought the timing would be inappropriate. Vivaldo understands and tells Eric not to worry and that they are still friends. Eric appreciates the sentiment and invites Vivaldo and Ida over to his place so they can meet Yves when he arrives. Vivaldo tells Eric that he still has a lot to sort out, but he is excited to meet Yves.
Despite the tumultuous events that have occurred over the past 24 hours, everyone remains on friendly terms, except Richard is out of the picture for the time being. Evidently, Eric has decided to renew his commitment to Yves now that he has learned something about himself by having an affair with Cass.
Themes
After his phone call with Eric, Vivaldo returns to the kitchen to sit with Ida. Ida tells Vivaldo she loves him, though Vivaldo has a hard time saying the same thing back to her. Instead, he says that he is grateful to Ida for telling him the truth. Then, Vivaldo and Ida hug, though there is nothing romantic in their embrace. Later in the day, Ida sleeps while Vivaldo spends time working on his novel.
Vivaldo and Ida’s feelings are complicated. Both care about the other, but they have also caused each other a lot of pain and sorrow. However, Vivaldo is finally able to work on his novel, seemingly as a direct result of his relationship with Ida, meaning something positive came out of their struggles.
Themes
