Chapter 31 Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with the narrator’s internal resolve hardening as Agnes’s despair deepens. While Thomas stands on the lawn with a cruel smile, the narrator feels a surge of defiance, vowing to match his will.

On day fifteen, Agnes runs out of cigarettes, having rationed them and even smoked the butts from the library ashtray. She becomes twitchy and irritable, refusing to play cards. The narrator tries to play with Willemijn, but a flare-up of pain makes Willemijn crumple her cards. The narrator plays solitaire instead. That night, Agnes sits on the windowsill brushing her hair, and Peter strokes her head with the same delicate touch he used on a bee earlier. Agnes takes his hand and shakes her head.

On day seventeen, a poacher carrying a dead pheasant and two rabbits wanders onto the lawn. He stops at the sight of the plaster saints, which have left dark ruts in the grass. He laughs uneasily and whistles to calm himself. Thomas joins him, though the man cannot see him, but the poacher seems to sense something, shudders, and runs away.

On night twenty-one, the narrator has a nightmare. Agnes wakes her and holds her tight. The terror quickly shifts to desire as they become intimate, locking together with a gasp.

On day twenty-two, Agnes bursts into tears during lunch. She blames herself for everything, saying that if she still had her family’s kris, it would have protected them from Thomas. She also regrets not performing death rituals for Thomas—she should have held a selamatan on the fortieth day after his death, left out his favorite food on his birthday, and kept his chair empty. The narrator tries to comfort her, but Willemijn cheerfully claims some blame, and the narrator gives her a cold look.

By day twenty-three, food is reduced to pickled items, one jar having gone bad and filling the room with a noxious stench. Willemijn says she might already be dead and that this is Hell. Ruth remarks that they’ll wait until Willemijn runs out of morphine.

Willemijn dies just before day twenty-nine. She does not go quietly, raging against her failing body, refusing sleeping pills and painkillers, and staring at Agnes with fear and indignation. During her last night, she drifts in and out of consciousness, her lips forming a name over and over. The narrator suggests letting her go to Thomas, hoping it might temper his wrath, but Agnes says nothing can. The narrator notes that spirits avoid the dying, and Ruth and Peter had left the room around day twenty-six. Agnes agrees to grant Willemijn’s final wish, and they dress her, brush her hair, and have Peter carry her outside. Peter is reluctant because the dead do not care for the dying, but Agnes’s distress moves him.

In the hour before dawn, Thomas howls, signaling Willemijn’s death. The narrator worries Thomas might take her body to the bog and turn her into a spirit, but Agnes says maybe not. Thomas leaves his sister’s body lying on the lawn among the plaster saints. The summer heat makes it rot, and flies cover it, glistening like jewels. The smell permeates everything, causing nausea. Agnes stops playing the piano, reading, and playing cards. They lie together, growing weaker and more desperate.

On day thirty-two, Thomas hurls something through the bedroom window, shattering it. He breaks all the windows with pieces of plaster saints. The narrator shields Agnes, and they hide under the bed. Afterward, they find the objects: a plaster saint’s face, a hand, a sandaled foot, and an unidentifiable chunk. The narrator makes a tired joke, but Agnes doesn’t laugh. She clutches a piece of the saint—the head of a lamb, with a clawlike hand attached. She identifies it as Saint Agnes, who is always portrayed with a lamb.

Agnes then declares she can’t stand this anymore. She refuses to die in the house, saying she didn’t survive her husband and find the narrator only to die like dogs. She produces a brown glass bottle of pills and says there’s only one thing they can do—one horrible, dreadful thing.

Key Events

Agnes’s cigarettes run out, heightening her irritability.
Peter strokes Agnes’s hair, but she gently declines his gesture.
A poacher senses Thomas’s presence and flees.
The narrator and Agnes become intimate after a nightmare.
Agnes blames herself for losing the kris and failing to perform death rituals for Thomas.
Food supplies dwindle to pickled items, one jar spoiled.
Willemijn dies after a prolonged, agonizing struggle, refusing medication.
Thomas howls at dawn, then leaves Willemijn’s body to rot on the lawn.
Flies and the smell of decay overwhelm the house.
Thomas smashes all the windows with pieces of plaster saints.
Agnes identifies a lamb’s head as Saint Agnes.
Agnes declares she will not die there and reveals a bottle of pills, proposing a “horrible, dreadful thing.”

Character Development

The Narrator: Her determination grows as Agnes’s despair deepens. She shifts from passive endurance to active defiance, vowing to match Thomas’s will. She also becomes more protective, shielding Agnes from glass and trying to comfort her.
Agnes: She spirals into guilt and self-blame, believing she caused the siege by losing the kris and neglecting rituals. Her despair turns to fierce resolve by the end, as she refuses to accept a living death and proposes a desperate plan.
Willemijn: She remains stubborn and defiant even in death, raging against her body and refusing to go quietly. Her final moments are marked by a longing for Thomas, which Agnes ultimately honors.
Peter: He shows reluctance to carry Willemijn outside because the dead avoid the dying, but Agnes’s distress moves him to comply.
Thomas: He demonstrates cruelty by leaving his sister’s body to rot and by smashing the windows, escalating the psychological torment.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Siege and Confinement: The chapter emphasizes the physical and psychological entrapment of the characters, with Thomas as the external threat and the house as a prison.
Starvation and Dwindling Supplies: The lack of food mirrors the characters’ dwindling hope and strength.
Guilt and Self-Blame: Agnes’s guilt over the kris and rituals highlights the theme of personal responsibility in the face of supernatural forces.
Rituals for the Dead: Agnes’s failure to perform proper death rituals is presented as a possible cause of Thomas’s unrest, underscoring the importance of honoring the dead.
The Kris as Protective Object: The lost kris symbolizes lost protection and Agnes’s perceived failure.
Death and Dying: Willemijn’s death and Thomas’s treatment of her body explore the boundaries between life, death, and the afterlife.
Decay and Flies: The rotting body and buzzing flies represent the physical and moral decay of the situation.
Broken Windows: The shattered windows symbolize the collapse of barriers and the intrusion of the outside threat.
Desperation and Determination: Agnes’s final declaration and the bottle of pills embody the theme of choosing a drastic action over passive suffering.
Survival vs. Living Death: The narrator insists they are surviving, while Agnes argues they are living a living death, highlighting the tension between mere existence and meaningful life.
Spirits Avoid the Dying: The narrator’s observation that Ruth and Peter left because Willemijn was dying reinforces the idea that the dead have their own rules.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a turning point in the siege. Willemijn’s death removes a major character and intensifies the stakes, while Thomas’s escalation—smashing windows and leaving his sister’s body to rot—demonstrates his cruelty and the impossibility of negotiation. Agnes’s guilt and despair reach a breaking point, leading to her defiant refusal to die and her proposal of a “horrible, dreadful thing.” This sets up the climax of the novel, as the narrator and Agnes prepare to take drastic action. The chapter also deepens the themes of guilt, ritual, and the cost of survival, making it a pivotal moment in the narrative.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Agnes blame herself for the siege, and what does this reveal about her character?

Agnes believes she is responsible because she lost her family’s kris, which she thinks would have protected them, and because she failed to perform death rituals for Thomas, such as a selamatan on the fortieth day. This reveals her deep-seated guilt and her tendency to internalize blame, even when the situation is largely out of her control. It also shows her belief in the power of rituals and objects to influence the supernatural.

2. What does the lamb’s head symbolize in this chapter?

The lamb’s head, identified as Saint Agnes, is a symbol of innocence and sacrifice. Saint Agnes is traditionally depicted with a lamb, representing purity and martyrdom. In this context, the lamb’s terrified expression and the clawlike hand gripping it suggest the corruption of innocence and the violent intrusion of Thomas’s wrath. It may also foreshadow Agnes’s own role as a sacrificial figure.

3. How does the narrator’s attitude shift from the beginning to the end of the chapter?

At the start, the narrator is determined and defiant, vowing to match Thomas’s will. As the chapter progresses, she becomes more protective and caring, but also more desperate. By the end, she is willing to follow Agnes’s lead, saying, “Tell me what I must do, and I shall do it.” This shift shows her growing commitment to Agnes and her readiness to embrace a drastic solution.