Legends of the Fall

Content Warning: The source material contains descriptions of drug use. It also employs offensive stereotypes of Black people and frequently refers to characters by their ethnicity. These terms are replicated in the guide only in direct quotes from the source material.

The narrative returns to the beginning of the story. Nordstrom is 43 years old and dances alone every night after dinner. He resigns his job and gives his money to his daughter and mother, which is difficult as neither of them wants to accept it. Both Sonia and his broker want him to see a psychiatrist, and so he does. The psychiatrist does not see Nordstrom’s decisions as problematic but more as an attempt to reshape an “unsatisfactory life.” They talk about his father, his childhood treehouse, and Maid Marian from the story of Robin Hood. He tells the man that he dances alone after dinner every night.

In May, Nordstrom leaves his job. His work replacement arrives, and his leaving party is thrown. He comes home late and cannot sleep. He writes a long journal entry about his father and Henry and the lightness he felt after he gave away his money.