Chapter summaries Isola Allegra Goodman

Isola Chapter 28: Grief, Hunger, and the Will to Live

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

After killing the bear that mauled Auguste, Marguerite is found by Damienne, who gently gathers Auguste’s remains and reburies him under a monument of granite rocks. Damienne skins the bear, intending to use the pelt for warmth. Marguerite initially refuses to sleep under it, but Damienne insists she must not freeze and risk losing her child. The bear’s carcass is devoured by wolves overnight, so Damienne cannot save the meat. Marguerite falls into a deep, despairing sleep, plagued by nightmares of shooting and becoming a bear. Damienne wakes her, warning her that the devil will take her if she screams, and reminds her to remember who she is and protect her unborn child. The words pierce Marguerite; she recalls her promise to Auguste to defend their son.

Rousing herself, Marguerite feels hunger pangs and asks for food. With almost no fish left, she resolves to hunt. She puts on Auguste’s boots and cloak, straps his bandolier across her chest, and takes his gun. Damienne objects that it is not right for a woman to wear a man’s trappings, but Marguerite insists she must live and therefore must shoot. She walks into the snow, weakened and lightheaded, speaking to Auguste as she goes. She sees a doe being chased by wolves; she tries to light her fuse but fails because it is damp. The wolves bring down the doe and feast. Marguerite, hungry and jealous, considers shooting to steal their prey but backs away when they look at her.

She returns empty-handed and weeps. She remembers another tactic: luring deer with wheat. She scatters kernels near the cave entrance. On the third day, six deer come. She shoots one buck, then drags him to the cave. She and Damienne butcher the deer, roast its flesh, and make broth from the bones. The food strengthens them briefly, but winter continues, storms return, and the deer run away over the frozen sea. Hunger returns; only a little quince jam remains, which Damienne gives to Marguerite.

Marguerite thinks of Claire, seeing her as a distant dream. Her past jealousy and frustration fade; she now understands Claire’s necessity. She is glad Claire cannot see how ragged and desperate she has become. One day she notices that Claire’s gold ring has slipped off her thin finger and is lost in the snow. Damienne calls it a little thing, but Marguerite says she is lost herself, so Claire will never know what happened to her gift.

Key Events

  • Damienne finds Auguste’s torn body, gathers his remains, and reburies him under a pile of granite rocks.
  • Damienne skins the bear; Marguerite refuses to sleep under the pelt but later relents.
  • Wolves eat the bear carcass overnight, losing the meat.
  • Marguerite falls into a long, despairing sleep and has violent nightmares.
  • Damienne warns Marguerite to remember her promise to protect her child.
  • Marguerite wakes hungry, puts on Auguste’s clothing and weaponry, and goes hunting.
  • She sees wolves kill a doe but cannot shoot because her fuse is damp.
  • She lures deer with wheat and successfully shoots a buck.
  • She and Damienne butcher the deer, make broth, and survive on the meat for a time.
  • Winter storms return; deer flee; hunger returns.
  • Marguerite loses Claire’s ring; she feels lost and broken.

Character Development

  • Marguerite transforms from a grief-stricken, nearly catatonic widow into a determined hunter. She adopts Auguste’s clothes and gun, literally stepping into his role as provider. Her perspective on Claire shifts: former jealousy fades, replaced by an understanding of necessity. Yet she also loses a tangible link to her past (the ring), deepening her sense of isolation.
  • Damienne remains the steady, practical presence. She offers comfort without judgment, reburies Auguste, works patiently on the bearskin, and uses what little they have (bear grease, quince jam) to keep Marguerite alive. Her faith persists even as the Virgin’s paint cracks.
  • Auguste (posthumously) continues to shape Marguerite’s actions through his promise and his material legacy—boots, cloak, gun, bandolier.
  • Claire appears only in memory, but her ring and her earlier decision to stay become newly significant to Marguerite, showing how extreme hardship alters past understanding.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Stepping into another’s role: Marguerite literally wears Auguste’s boots and cloak and carries his gun. The line “Now my footprints are his” signals that she is taking on his duties of hunting and protection.
  • Hunger and necessity: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes “We must eat.” Hunger strips away fear, disgust, and hesitation. Marguerite no longer feels revulsion at the wolves’ kill; she feels jealousy. Necessity redefines morality.
  • Grief and numbness: Marguerite’s deep sleep and nightmares show her psyche trying to escape reality. Damienne’s reminder to “remember who you are” anchors her to identity and responsibility.
  • Loss of the past: Claire’s ring—made of pure gold, a relic of Marguerite’s former life—slips off and disappears. This symbolizes the irrecoverable loss of her old self and connections. The tarnished looking glass also reflects a refusal to see her changed face.
  • Faith and grace vs. despair: Damienne sees signs of grace where Marguerite sees none. The Virgin’s flaking paint and gold dust represent both decay and the possibility of shedding light.
  • Wilderness as teacher: The wolves, bear, and deer are not just threats or prey; they are also models. Marguerite learns from the deer’s wariness, the wolves’ patience, and her own vulnerability.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 28 is a turning point for Marguerite. It completes her transition from dependent spouse to sole provider. She physically assumes Auguste’s hunting gear, proving that she can perform the tasks he once did. The chapter also crystallizes a central theme of the novel: survival under extreme duress forces people to shed former identities and adopt new ones. Losing Claire’s ring drives home how much Marguerite has changed and how far she is from her aristocratic past. The chapter deepens the emotional and physical stakes as winter continues and food becomes scarcer, setting up the final arc of the island ordeal.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Marguerite initially refuse to sleep under the bearskin, and what eventually makes her accept it?
    Marguerite refuses because the skin belongs to the animal that killed Auguste; she cannot bear to touch it. Damienne insists she must not freeze and risk harming her unborn child, so she eventually allows the fur to be used for warmth. This conflict illustrates Marguerite’s grief clashing with the practical necessity of survival.

  2. What does Marguerite’s loss of Claire’s ring signify in this chapter?
    The ring is a physical link to her former life, to Claire, and to the society she left behind. Its loss—slipping off her thin finger into the snow—represents how hardship has literally and figuratively stripped away her old identity. She feels “lost” and believes Claire will never know what happened to her gift, underscoring Marguerite’s isolation and transformation.

  3. How does Marguerite’s understanding of Claire change in this chapter?
    While remembering Claire, Marguerite notes that her old jealousy and frustration have faded. She now sees Claire’s decision to stay with her family as necessary—a word she had not truly understood before. Hardship has given her empathy for a choice she once resented, showing how suffering can alter perspective.

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