The Final Dispute Over Edgar and Stella

This flow traces Peter’s effort to control the story of the lovers and the uncertainty that remains after Stella’s death.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Stella’s Account

A Story Told to Peter Reconstructing the Affair Stella recounts the relationship with Edgar in conversation, describing her attraction, their fugitive life, and the violence that ended it. She rarely condemns him, insisting that she understands why he acted as he did. A Listener With Interests Peter presents himself as patient and sympathetic, but his interpretations shape what he thinks the story means. His role as friend, psychiatrist, and prospective husband makes him neither a neutral listener nor a simple confidant.

Edgar’s Contradictory Account

Love Expressed as Contempt The Word Animal Edgar calls Stella an animal and claims she was sexually involved with Nick. Peter suspects that Edgar is once again reorganizing experience around delusional jealousy. A Request to See Her Despite the contempt, Edgar asks for a meeting with Stella. The contradiction leaves Peter uncertain whether hatred, love, and the desire to control her can be separated in Edgar’s mind.

The Image Peter Keeps

Memory Becomes Possession The Sculpture in the Desk Peter keeps the bronze cast of Stella’s head, a work derived from Edgar’s obsessive final sculpture. He admires its beauty and treats it as a surviving version of the woman he knew. The Story Unfinished Peter still has Edgar in his custody and delays telling him that Stella is dead. His closing insistence that he has both man and image reveals how the struggle over Stella’s meaning continues beyond her life.

During her hospital treatment

After Edgar’s recapture

After Stella’s death