Hatpin

The Hatpin is a gift from the narrator to Nina whose meaning changes sharply in a single visit: displayed on a table as evidence that Nina is using it, it becomes part of their confrontation and is left behind when she departs with Elena’s doll.

Gift and Appearance

Nina arrives at the narrator’s apartment wearing a new hat. She removes the hatpin and lays both objects on the living-room table. The narrator recognizes the pin by its black amber and long, shining shaft, and thinks Nina may have worn the hat specifically to show that she was using the gift. In this first appearance, the pin is a small sign of attention between them, made visible through Nina’s choice to wear it.

The Confrontation

The pin’s role changes after the narrator offers Nina the apartment keys. Nina does not take them. Instead, she uses the Hatpin to pierce the narrator’s side, then throws it onto the floor. She leaves the hat and the keys behind and runs off with Elena’s doll. The object that had seemed to confirm a friendly exchange is thus caught up in a sudden rupture between the two women.

What Remains

After Nina leaves, the narrator sees the Hatpin on the table beside the hat. She notes that the brief wound has left no lasting harm, then slowly packs her bags for her departure that night. The pin remains behind, separated from both its wearer and the gift’s original purpose. Its movement from displayed accessory to abandoned object marks the visit’s reversal: Nina comes to ask for the keys, but leaves with the doll instead.