Saturday

Henry wakes up for the second time on Saturday, having fallen asleep after having sex with Rosalind. He thinks he hears a phrase being repeated over the radio in the bathroom saying, “There is grandeur in this view of life” (53). However, after he wakes up, he realizes that this was a phrase he read from Darwin and that he must have still been half-dreaming.

He dresses for his squash game while excitement builds for Daisy’s upcoming visit. Henry thinks of the items he will need to pick up for the fish stew he will prepare and also thinks of his relationship with Daisy. The two have a lovingly contentious relationship, often disagreeing because of their vastly different perspectives. Unlike Daisy, Henry feels bored by the imaginary when reality itself is so interesting and inexplicable.

At the window, Henry becomes distracted by two young individuals who are having an argument in the square. The girl’s compulsive scratching makes Henry think they must use drugs and are experiencing the side effects of use. Since the girl is close to his daughter’s age, he contrasts their fates and wonders at the random details of their lives that put them on such different paths.