The Idiot

The second chapter follows Selin throughout her second semester at Harvard. She becomes even more interested in how language works and what it means, so she takes several classes related to linguistics.

She is asked to help with the ESL program and is assigned an older Hispanic man who has come to the US to get eye surgery. The man seems to understand Selin, but is unable to answer in English. All Selin’s efforts result in some strange pidgin version of English that only she and the man can understand. Eventually, the man gets surgery and no longer needs ESL classes. Selin feels depressed about her failure as a teacher.

Selin’s next student is an older Black woman whose teenage son has died recently. She wants to continue with her education, but has a very difficult time understanding abstract concepts. She is confused by the terms her math teacher uses. Selin is able to help the woman with varying degrees of success.

Selin’s correspondence with Ivan becomes progressively more random and philosophical. She feels that nothing makes sense any longer and tries talking to a school psychologist. The counselor is highly suspicious of the Internet and cautions Selin that it is impossible to know if the person she is corresponding with is really Ivan or someone else, such as a criminal. He also believes that her feelings for the Hungarian are not real and that she would be disillusioned by such details as bad breath. Selin disagrees with his diagnosis as she believes that anything physical can be overcome when connecting with someone on an emotional and intellectual level. In her experience, people do not want to truly understand others, but to simply find allies. The psychologist thinks that her attitude is an expression of typical freshman insecurity.

Selin confesses her love to Ivan while he is in California visiting schools. Ivan tells her he has a girlfriend, but that her words inspire him and that he wants to get to know her as a friend. Eventually, they decide to meet up in person. They begin spending time together, usually walking around aimlessly or staying up all night listening to music. Selin is very much in love with Ivan, but their interactions are not romantic in nature, even after Ivan mentions in passing his now ex-girlfriend.

At one point, Ivan wants to get drinks with Selin at a bar. Selin dislikes drinking, but sees no way out of the situation. The bar is very loud, so it is difficult to talk. Selin feels uncomfortable, but does not want to seem uptight. She ends up drinking several beers, which make her feel inebriated.

Overall, Selin dislikes big parties and going to bars and clubs. The noise and the drinking seem pointless to her, but she is very aware that only boring or religious people refuse to party, so she feels pressured to conform.

In mid-spring, Selin finds out that her story is one of the finalists in the literary magazine’s competition and will be published alongside the work of two other students. There is also a reception, to which Selin goes reluctantly. There, she meets Lakshmi, one of the editors, a sophisticated, beautiful young woman with a British accent, who is also in love with a senior. Selin and Lakshmi try to bond over their unrequited feelings, but their personalities and situations are too different.

One day, while discussing summer plans, Ivan suggests that Selin go to Hungary to teach English to local villagers. He introduces her to Peter, another senior of Hungarian descent, who grew up in the US. Peter is the founder of a Hungary-based ESL program that uses Harvard students as volunteers. Selin agrees to help out as it means the possibility of seeing Ivan over the summer.

Right before final exams, as the weather becomes unbearably hot and humid, Ivan invites Selin to go swimming. Just as they are about to leave on Ivan’s motorcycle, they run into a girl Ivan introduces as his girlfriend, and who he is apparently supposed to meet later that evening for a concert. After that exchange, Ivan and Selin leave on the motorcycle and go to Walden Pool. Selin is hurt and bewildered by Ivan’s behavior, but tries not to show it. After swimming, Ivan appears interested in initiating something physical between them and offers to hold Selin’s towel up while she changes, but she refuses and puts her clothes on top of her wet swimsuit. After this episode, Selin feels that something has ended and that Ivan will no longer seek her out.

The day Selin has to pack and move out of the dorm, Ivan sends her an email suggesting that she stop being spontaneous and crazy, which is in direct contradiction to what he wrote over the winter. Selin is angry and sends back a hurtful letter, which she believes will be the end of their interactions.