Intermezzo

Ivan asks about Margaret’s sexual habits and reluctantly shares his own. He no longer watches as much pornography now that he is with Margaret. Ivan admires beauty in inanimate objects, like chess pieces. As he learns more about her youth, she recognizes how interesting her life has actually been.

Ivan continues to assert the validity of their relationship despite the age gap. Margaret admits that she fears being judged by others, and is anxious that someone might get hurt, which Ivan doesn’t think is a worthwhile way to live. He tries to console her by suggesting that he will likely be the one who gets hurt, but Margaret indicates that this only makes her feel worse. Ivan shares his experience of his father’s illness. Margaret shares details about her family, but finds that Ivan misunderstands their moral values.

Margaret visits her mother, Bridget, who favors Margaret least among her children. Whenever Bridget shares pictures of Margaret’s siblings, Margaret feels as though she has condemned herself by choosing to stay in Leitrim.

While having sex, Ivan and Margaret admit their love for each other. Margaret fears that one day Ivan will meet someone else closer to his age and stop visiting her.

Margaret is reading the newspaper when she notices the name “Peter Koubek” in an article about a recent trial. Ivan’s response is unenthusiastic, clarifying that he and Peter aren’t very close, which clashes with the initial impression he had given Margaret about their brotherly dynamic. Ivan indicates that Peter used to bully him for being socially awkward. Now, Ivan resents Peter for giving the eulogy at their father’s funeral when Ivan was closer to their father. Ivan connects the bullying he experienced to his present self-conscious behavior. When Peter was still together with Sylvia, Peter felt incentivized to treat Ivan well; also, their father had attempted to strengthen their relationship. Now that he is gone, Ivan does not see the point in maintaining a connection with Peter.

Margaret suggests that Peter may still love Ivan, despite his lack of respect for him. This angers Ivan, who feels that Margaret is taking Peter’s side. Still, their rift makes Ivan feel bad because it goes against what their father wanted. Margaret apologizes, but suspects that Ivan has deliberately left out information about their rift.

Ivan feels the joy of learning that Margaret loves him, but can’t help feeling pain knowing that his life must continue without his father. The feeling is complicated by Margaret’s apparent defense of Peter. He knows he cannot accurately represent Peter’s qualms about their relationship.

Sylvia consults Ivan about the green hat philosophy problem: If a liar calls his hats green, which part of the statement is the lie? Ivan explains that the solution has to do with seeing the statement as a conditional. The liar is lying about the color of his hats, not about whether or not he has any hats. If the liar had no hats at all, he could make any claim about the supposed hats he owns because it is a vacuous truth. Sylvia poses an analogous example by claiming to have sisters in a certain place. The truth value of the statement changes depending on how many sisters she says she has. If Sylvia only claims to have one sister, but does not have any, then she is already lying. Unlike multiple sisters or hats that can only be defined through conditional statements, a singular sister or hat would have to be defined by definite description. Ivan concedes that differentiating between universals and particulars raises its own logic problem.

Later, Peter considers the philosophy problem as an example of the limitations of language, similar to his inability to argue for the validity of his relationship with Margaret. He tells Sylvia that he is seeing someone, but withholds the details that upset Peter when he mentioned them.

Ivan improves his chess technique and feels enthusiastic about his ability. He wants to distinguish his mind from the rest of his body, but cannot discount the brain as being part of the complex system that is his body. The intelligence that allows him to play well is the same one that allows him to build and sustain his relationship with Margaret.

Ivan visits Christine’s house when she threatens to give his dog Alexei away. Ivan is met by his stepbrother, Darren, who brings Ivan to the utility room in the back, where Alexei is being kept. Alexei is excited to see Ivan. Ivan, on the other hand, is dejected at the discovery of Alexei’s poor living conditions. Ivan is especially resentful of Darren for failing to look after Alexei’s basic needs because Darren hardly does anything at work and thus makes no contribution to society.

Christine arrives. Ivan complains about Alexei’s living conditions, but Christine and Darren fail to take responsibility. Ivan gives a noncommittal answer about his Christmas plans. Christine implies that she knows about the rift between him and Peter and tries to seek the reasons for their falling out. When Christine suggests that Ivan take Alexei with him, Ivan feels a surge of the same euphoric love he feels for Margaret. He agrees, and brings the excitable Alexei to the train station. Pets are not allowed in Ivan’s apartment, so he considers bringing Alexei with him on his next visit to Leitrim.