The Passenger

The chapter begins with Alicia’s recollection of visiting her maternal grandmother, Granellen, in Tennessee. She then is visited by Miss Vivian, a hallucination that she has occasionally been visited by. In this scene, The Kid is absent. The conversation between Alicia and Miss Vivian centers on babies, birthing, and how consciousness comes to exist in an individual. The immediate reactions to the first moments outside the womb—the uncertainty and the discomfort—are a baby’s first experiences in the world. The conversation between Alicia and Miss Vivian offers a stark contrast to conversations she has with The Kid.

Bobby is having dinner at Arnaud’s, and he makes a big production of pouring his own champagne as a way of honoring his recently deceased friend, John Sheddan, who was given to such gestures. He leaves Arnaud’s and goes to the Seven Seas, where he learns from Janice that the federal agents are still looking for him and paying regular visits. He calls Debussy, and asks her to read the contents of Alicia’s letter, but to only tell him whether Alicia mentioned the whereabouts of the rare violin she purchased, and also if there is any mention of money.