The Guest

In these chapters, Alex’s problems escalate as she gets involved with people who are vulnerable and, in some ways, weaker than she is.

Alex befriends Margaret so she’ll have a place to go. But Margaret is more vulnerable than Alex accounted for. When it comes to the people Alex uses for her survival, wealthy men are easier to deal with because she can use sex as a currency. With Margaret, Alex does try to use her sexuality to ingratiate herself. She does Margaret’s makeup and flirts with her. Alex is well practiced in reflecting others back to themselves in a flattering way. Seduction means convincing them of their own beauty or worth. But the men Alex dates have lives and careers that they prioritize, with Alex playing a marginal role. With someone like Margaret, who lacks friends and self-confidence, Alex has more power. This makes Alex’s situation more complicated. While Alex could have used Margaret’s loneliness for her own gain—she recognizes that she could easily spend the rest of the week with Margaret—ultimately Alex escapes because she doesn’t want to deal with Margaret’s unhappiness. Alex can deal with men who are unhappy, but Margaret’s unhappiness is too deep and too reflective of a kind of pain Alex doesn’t want to manage.

This also brings into question Alex’s connection with other women. Men are easier for Alex to manipulate because of the sexual transaction she can rely on. But with women, things are more complicated. Alex has known many other young women in the city who operated in the same circles as her. And yet, she has no friends. Alex has actively driven other women away through her own actions, such as not paying rent, stealing from her roommates, or doing other things she can’t remember. Alex is a lone woman in a man’s world, and she loses out on the opportunity to seek solace and support from women who won’t demand sex from her. On the other hand, because female friendships are not based on transactions of sex, they require Alex to be honest, vulnerable, and to seek out other ways to survive financially. Alex’s nonexistent relationships with women, including her inability to be there for Margaret, sheds light on the relationship between Gender and Power Dynamics.

Alex continues to encounter other outsiders who see through her disguise. Karen can see who Alex truly is, and this scares Alex away from Margaret’s house. Max also sees that Alex is using Jack. These secondary characters are more capable of detecting Illusion and Deception Masquerading as Truth than the wealthy people Alex manipulates. They see the signs that people who want to believe that their lives are neatly protected cannot see. This emphasizes the theme of Social Class and Power.

Alex’s talent or skill is making people feel accepted and appreciated. Cline emphasizes that it doesn’t take much to make people feel good about themselves. Alex knows how to use sexuality, silence, and quiet confidence to convince people that they are good and attractive and interesting. This is a larger commentary on how social dynamics work. Rather than open themselves up to real connection, people tend to want synthetic interactions that are superficial and help to boost their egos. Fantasy is more interesting than reality because it can be manipulated, edited, and used as protection. Alex’s life is defined by the fantasies she conjures, but she’s not the only one. Even people who have secure lives are insecure about their role in their own lives. For example, Alex knows that Jack is worth her attention because his insecurities make him easy to manipulate. He doesn’t need to know too much about her life or her feelings because ultimately he cares more about how she makes him feel.

But Alex’s relationship with Jack quickly escalates into a larger problem. It becomes clear that Jack is too young and too broken for Alex to rely on. There are signs that Jack is younger than he tells Alex he is. His braces, his young friends, his father’s involvement in his life, his reliance on his father, and his lack of sexual experience all point to his youth. But Alex wills herself to see past those signs because she needs Jack for survival. Now, Alex is in a forced and faux relationship with a teenager who is struggling with mental health conditions.

One thing that is crucial to Alex’s survival is relative anonymity. She can’t be known as the woman hiding out with Jack because that can blow her cover. Once other people find out that she is unhoused, she loses any ability to ingratiate herself with others and find her way back to Simon. Alex puts herself in a tricky situation because Jack is erratic and has people who are looking for him. Any appearance that Alex has helped a minor hide away from his father holds Alex culpable. But Jack is also in a tricky situation. He believes that Alex is interested in him for who he is, which makes him feel good about himself at a low time in his life. Jack is not taking his medications, is breaking rules, and is showing signs of emotional disturbance. Jack needs help, and Alex can’t help him. Together, they create a chaotic couple and endanger one another.

When the truth about Jack is revealed, Alex realizes how off her radar has become. Alex’s ability to read people is frayed by her drug abuse, drinking, lack of food, and stress. Plus, her fear of Dom continues to play with her mind. Alex has lost the thread of her own narrative, which is the most dangerous thing that can happen to a person whose life is all about maintaining a fiction. The boundaries between truth, lies, and obfuscation that both Jack and Alex engage in with one another emphasize the theme of Illusion and Deception Masquerading as Truth.