The Master

An idea for a new story comes to Henry suddenly, as they often do. He decides to write a story about an orphaned brother and sister who are so close that they seem to share the same emotions and can understand each other without speaking. He realizes that writing this story will lift him up out of the depression that has lingered on after the failure of his play. He feels much more comfortable in the world of novels and is confident that he can produce a high-quality work of fiction. 

He reflects on the fact that his experience in theater rattled him. After surviving the grief of his parents’ and Alice’s deaths, Henry had been sure that he would be immune to additional emotional upheaval, but the play truly destabilized him. Now, he throws himself into his writing, but he finds that he still has to fend off unpleasant thoughts. Moving on is possible, but it will be difficult. 

Oscar Wilde’s success soon irks Henry, distracting him from his work and his personal failures. Wilde’s plays are still running, and Henry mentally calculates the profits that Wilde is no doubt enjoying. Henry himself is financially comfortable, but he is not entirely certain that he can maintain his current standard of living without gaining some form of success.