Part 2: Chapter 4 Summary

Frank Wheeler struggles with the question of who to tell—and when—of his planned departure from the Knox Business Machines Co. At lunch with his co-worker Jack Ordway, Frank begins to realize that a lot of the business plans and meetings in which he participates concern future events that he won't be around for. After telling his friend of his plans, Ordway quizzes him on what he plans to do in Paris, asking if he's planning on writing a book, or painting. Resenting the question, Frank answers with a question of his own, borrowed from his wife, whether writers and artists are the only people entitled to a life of their own. Ordway asks Wheeler why he needs to go to Europe to "discover" himself and what he wants to do with his life; Frank answers that it's...