Chapter 20 Summary: Tony’s Rubicon and the Beginning of Zenia’s Influence
⚠️ 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
Chapter 20 opens with Tony remembering the decisive moment when Zenia entered her life—a “Rubicon” that she did not recognize at the time. Tony felt swept into a strong current, losing her footing in her protective shell. She speculates that Zenia was drawn by Tony’s love for West and her own vulnerability. Now, years later, Tony paces her basement, listening to West’s breathing and Zenia’s voice in memory. The chapter shifts to a scene in a seedy all-night coffee shop called Christie’s, where Tony and Zenia have been meeting regularly for a month. Zenia poses extreme hypothetical questions about killing oneself or another, unsettling Tony. Zenia has also been cast as Andromache in The Trojan Women, but she complains about directors and considers quitting. Under Zenia’s influence, Tony has changed her appearance—new clothes, a short tousled haircut, oversized glasses—and has been lying to McClung Hall about painting sets to stay out late. Tony feels exhilarated yet out of control, like being dragged behind a motorboat. Her friendship with Zenia has isolated her from other women; Roz tries to warn her, but Tony dismisses it as jealousy. At the chapter’s close, Zenia urges Tony to continue talking, and Tony complies heedlessly.
Key Events
- Tony reflects on the moment Zenia first approached her, identifying it as a “Rubicon” (irreversible crossing).
- The narrative flashes forward to a present scene in Tony’s basement, where she remembers Zenia’s voice and West’s sleeping presence.
- In a flashback, Tony and Zenia sit in Christie’s coffee shop late at night. Zenia questions Tony about what would make her kill herself or someone else.
- Zenia reveals she is acting in The Trojan Women as Andromache but dislikes the role and the director’s behavior.
- Tony’s appearance is transformed: Zenia picks out black corduroy jeans, an oversized pullover, a green scarf, and a short haircut with larger glasses.
- Roz confronts Tony with rumors about Zenia, but Tony defends her fiercely.
- Tony has been signing out later from McClung Hall, claiming she is painting sets for the play.
- The chapter ends with Zenia leaning forward and pressing Tony to continue sharing her stories.
Character Development
Tony: As the chapter’s focalizer, Tony is shown undergoing a radical transformation. She abandons her usual cautious, scholarly demeanor for a more daring, rebellious persona adopted from Zenia. Tony feels both thrilled and terrified, aware that she is losing control of her identity yet unable to stop. Her love for West makes her vulnerable, and Zenia exploits that. Tony’s inner voice reveals her intellectual tendency to overanalyze, but here she is swept up in emotional currents beyond her rational grasp.
Zenia: She is portrayed as charismatic, manipulative, and predatory. Zenia enjoys hypothetical violence and seems to test Tony’s limits. She remakes Tony’s look with an eye toward aesthetic “exaggeration,” asserting that beauty is unbalanced. Her reputation among other women is fearsome—“wolfish, feral, beyond the pale”—yet Tony idolizes her. Zenia’s talk of quitting the play and her contempt for men hint at deeper resentments.
Roz (briefly): She appears as a protective maternal figure who tries to warn Tony about Zenia, but her efforts are rebuffed.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The Rubicon: Tony uses this historical metaphor to underscore the irreversible nature of her meeting with Zenia. It symbolizes a point of no return in her life.
- The Vacuum: Tony observes that “nature abhors a vacuum,” referring to her empty life before Zenia. This motif suggests that vulnerability invites manipulation.
- Doubleness: Zenia is drawn to the duality in Tony’s character—perhaps the two words “raw” and “war” that Tony plays with. Doubleness becomes a theme of identity fragmentation.
- Disguise and Transformation: Zenia redesigns Tony’s clothes and haircut, creating a new outer self that mimics worldliness. The play The Trojan Women also involves costume and pretence.
- Violence and Morality: Zenia’s extreme hypotheticals—suicide, murder, cannibalism—force Tony to confront her own moral boundaries and foreshadow the darker aspects of their friendship.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 20 is pivotal because it marks the official beginning of Zenia’s infiltration into Tony’s life. Tony’s reflection on the “Rubicon” establishes the chapter as a turning point—the moment she opened herself to Zenia’s influence. The chapter also deepens our understanding of Tony’s psychological state: her loneliness, her love for West, and her longing for adventure make her susceptible. Furthermore, the transformation of Tony’s appearance and habits signals a loss of identity that will have lasting consequences. The stage is set for the complex, toxic friendship that drives much of the novel’s plot.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the “Rubicon” metaphor reveal about Tony’s perception of her meeting with Zenia?
Answer: The Rubicon symbolizes an irreversible decision. Tony believes she crossed a threshold into a dangerous new phase of her life without realizing it at the time. The metaphor emphasizes her lack of agency and the long-lasting impact of that single encounter.
2. How does Zenia change Tony’s appearance, and what does this change signify?
Answer: Zenia replaces Tony’s pageboy haircut with a short, tousled style, buys her oversized black corduroy jeans and a roll-collar pullover, and exchanges her normal glasses for enormous ones. This transformation signifies Tony’s shedding of her old, cautious self and adopting a more daring, “sophisticated” persona under Zenia’s influence. It also reflects Zenia’s belief that beauty is “exaggerated” and “unbalanced.”
3. Why does Tony lie to McClung Hall about painting sets, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?
Answer: Tony lies to cover her late-night meetings with Zenia. It reveals her growing recklessness and her willingness to abandon her usual routines for the thrill of the new friendship. The lie also shows that Tony is already hiding her relationship from others, a pattern that isolates her from her community.