The Secret History: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

Richard is concerned that school is about start and he’s only heard from Henry and Bunny. The day before classes resume, Richard visits Julian’s office and Julian says that he hasn’t seen anyone except Bunny. He also tells Richard that Henry was sick while in Italy, though he doesn’t go into detail. Richard is annoyed that his friends haven’t called or come to visit and so he tries to go to them. First, he goes to Bunny’s room only to find that he’s gone, and then he calls Francis. Francis answers the phone but uses a fake voice. This annoys Richard so he hangs up.

Restless, Richard stays up reading. After a few hours, he leaves his room to go to the Commons, where he finds Bunny drunk and watching TV. Richard asks Bunny where everyone is, but Bunny says he doesn’t know. Richard also inquiries about what happened between Bunny and Henry in Rome, to which Bunny cryptically responds, “He’s not what you think he is.” Richard doesn’t know what to make of this. For a moment, he thinks it is possible that Henry made a sexual pass at Bunny, but he quickly dismisses the idea. Richard doesn’t think that Henry is gay and, even if he was, he certainly wouldn’t be interested in Bunny. Contemplating this makes Richard tired, so he excuses himself and goes to bed.

Richard wakes up the next day planning to do some Greek homework but then realizes he left his textbook at Henry’s apartment. He tries to call Henry, but no one answers. As such, he makes his way to Henry’s apartment, where he finds that no one is home. He unlocks the door and immediately locates his book. On his way out of the apartment, Richard spots a piece of paper with what looks like flight information and a telephone number. Curious, Richard calls the number and pretends to be Henry. In doing so, he learns that Henry has a flight to Argentina scheduled for the following day. More bewildered than ever, Richard leaves the apartment.

Classes begin the same day, Thursday, though Richard doesn’t have class with Julian until the following Monday. Richard spends his day wondering what is going on with the Greek students and whether Bunny knows about it. The next day, Richard calls Francis’s mother in Boston to try to figure out the truth. Francis’s mother is alarmed when Richard insinuates that Francis is not in school, so Richard makes up an excuse so as not to worry her and then hangs up the phone.

Shortly after the phone call, Richard runs into Bunny, who asks him whether he’s seen anyone else. Richard says he hasn’t. Then, the two of them have a conversation about what happened in Italy, though Bunny doesn’t provide any specific answers. When Richard asks him if the problem is money-related, Bunny responds, “That Henry . . . I love him, and you love him, but just between the two of us I think he’s got a little bit of Jew blood.” Bunny thinks that Henry worries about whether people like him for him or for his money. However, he does not go into further detail.

Richard spends the weekend thinking about his fellow Greek students while eagerly anticipating his first class with Julian, which he hopes will provide him with answers. When Monday arrives, Richard goes to class to find everyone there and acting normal. Everyone gives Richard and Julian elaborate excuses for why they haven’t been in contact, although Richard doesn’t believe them. After class, Richard returns to his room and continues to contemplate the situation. While lying in bed, he hears a knock on the door, which turns out to be Henry. Henry asks Richard if he will take a drive with him, and Richard accepts.

First, Henry and Richard go to an estate sale and then to dinner. At dinner, Henry abruptly asks, “Don’t you want to know about our trip to Argentina.” Richard is surprised that Henry knows that he knows about Argentina. However, Henry explains that when he called the airline to cancel his ticket, they were confused because someone had just called to confirm the previous day. Before Richard can get more answers, Henry suggests that they go to Francis’s apartment.

When they arrive at Francis’s place, Francis is not home. Henry tells Richard that he is out at a movie with Bunny. Then, Henry explains that he and the other Greek students didn’t go to Argentina because of money issues. Although each member of the group is quite wealthy, they all have limitations on how much of their wealth they can access at any given time. As such, they decided the move was too risky. Richard, his head still reeling, says, “Henry, what in God’s name have you done?” Henry tells Richard to guess, to which Richard responds, “You killed somebody.”

Richard’s guess turns out to be correct. Henry admits that he and the other Greek students—excluding Bunny—accidentally killed someone while taking part in a bacchanal. Richard has a hard time believing him, but Henry swears it is true. After the conversation about Dionysian madness took place the previous semester, the Greek students made it their goal to have a similar experience. They experimented with drinking, drugs, prayer, and even poison in an attempt to induce Dionysian madness. Henry tells Richard that he almost caught them many times; the random injuries, the strange mixture on the stove, and the bizarre conversation about bedsheets were all related to the rituals they’d been performing. However, for a long time, they did not achieve the results they were looking for.

Henry thinks that their initial attempts to induce Dionysian madness failed because their belief wasn’t genuine. From then on, all the members of the group took the rituals incredibly seriously, except Bunny. As such, Bunny was exiled from participating in future rituals. Shortly after Bunny’s expulsion, the Greek students succeeded in inducing Dionysian madness. Henry tells Richard that the experience was amazing and indescribable. Richard interrupts to inquire about the sexual nature of the rituals, and though Henry admits that sex was a part of it, he refuses to go into detail.

Henry says that he’s forgotten much of the night, though he knows that the group ran through the woods for many miles. However, when he came to, he found himself covered in blood with a dead man at his feet. Each of the members of the bacchanal have slightly different versions of what occurred, but ultimately no one is sure how the man died. Frightened, they left the body and escaped without anyone seeing them. Henry is disturbed by the incident but would not be worried about being caught if not for Bunny. Before he can explain further, Francis returns home.