Bellevue is the hospital where Donald Baumgart is taken after losing his sight and attempting suicide. Though the novel mentions it only briefly, the location marks the immediate aftermath of Donald’s crisis and anchors the painful contrast between his condition and Guy Woodhouse’s sudden professional success.

Setting and Circumstances

Bellevue enters the narrative through Guy’s report to Rosemary Woodhouse. Donald had awakened the previous day unable to see; after attempting to hang himself that morning, he was taken to Bellevue and placed under sedation. The account gives no further description of the hospital or of Donald’s treatment there.

Donald Baumgart’s Hospitalization

At Bellevue, Donald is out of immediate reach of Guy and Rosemary, but his condition dominates their exchange. Guy says that Donald has gone blind and tried to kill himself; the hospital and sedation establish that Donald is receiving care after the attempt. The news makes the consequence of his sudden blindness concrete without presenting his experience beyond the few facts Guy conveys.

Narrative Significance

Bellevue is paired with the news that Guy has won the part Donald had been expected to play. Guy recognizes the disturbing circumstance of his success and leaves to walk outside, while Rosemary thinks of Donald’s suffering alongside the future she imagines for herself and Guy: further acting work, a possible move to Los Angeles, and a family. Her thoughts return to Donald, who had apparently been good enough to beat Guy for the role and is now blind and under sedation. The hospital thus becomes the stark counterpoint to the opportunity opening for Guy: one man’s catastrophe and the other’s advancement arrive in the same conversation.