The Narrator’s Jealous Surveillance

As uncertainty about Albertine grows, the narrator attempts to manage her movements and information, discovering that surveillance cannot produce the certainty he wants.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Missed Appointment

The Pain of Absence Waiting without knowledge Albertine fails to arrive when expected. The narrator’s anxiety turns her absence into evidence, even before he knows where she is. A new emotional rule He finds that the prospect of separation matters more than her visible charms. Refusal begins to generate attachment.

The Mirror’s Evidence

Watching Without Being Seen An indirect view The narrator notices Albertine watching girls in a mirror. Her apparent indifference cannot reassure him because her attention has been concealed. Suspicion takes shape The mirror becomes an instrument of imagined surveillance. The narrator reads a private motive into an image he cannot verify.

Plans and Contradictions

An Unstable Story Changing explanations Albertine gives successive reasons for visiting a woman and her friends. The narrator detects contradictions and imagines an unnamed lover behind them. A tactical retreat He offers to accompany her, and she changes her plan. Neither can tell whether the change reflects affection, fear, or simple convenience.

The Closed Network

Attempts at Prevention Controlling encounters The narrator tries to keep Albertine away from women he considers dangerous. He even imagines using social influence to make a potential rival leave. No complete knowledge His precautions cannot secure Albertine’s inner life. Each apparent safeguard produces another question about what he has not seen.

A Decision to Take Her Away

Surveillance Becomes Possession The proposed departure The narrator asks Albertine to come to Paris with him. Her agreement brings immediate relief, but it is rooted in fear rather than trust. A narrowed future He now sees separation as intolerable and control as necessary. The decision deepens the bond while making its insecurity more dangerous.

During the early weeks at Balbec

During a later visit to the Balbec casino

During a conversation about an outing to Infreville

As the summer season brings new arrivals

The morning after Albertine’s disclosure at Parville