The Night of the Iguana

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains implications of suicidal ideation.

The storm has passed, having knocked out the power, and Shannon sits at a table writing a letter to the bishop. Nonno and Hannah are in their rooms, reciting poetry and reading. Shannon wants Maxine to send an employee to mail his letter tonight, but they have already left to spend their evening in town. Shannon remarks that Fred is fortunate to be dead. Unperturbed by his nastiness, Maxine replies that although she is mourning for Fred, their relationship, their sex life, and communication died long before Fred did. Shannon mentions Pancho and Pedro, but Maxine explains that, unlike Fred, they do not respect her. Maxine recalls a conversation in which she heard Shannon telling Fred about how his mother punished him harshly for masturbating; she sees this as the root of Shannon’s anger at the church and his desire to have sex with young girls. She upsets Shannon by asking if he mentioned his forthcoming statutory rape charge in his letter. Shannon pushes her away when she tries to comb her fingers through his hair, announcing that he’ll take the bus to town and mail his letter. Maxine warns, “Watch out for the spook, he’s out there” (391).

Before Shannon can leave, he and Maxine notice that Jake Latta, another tour guide, has arrived from Blake Tours. Latta enters, and gently explains that he has arrived to take over Shannon’s tour. Shannon insults Latta and refuses to believe him, even with proof, and he stubbornly declines to hand over the bus key. Miss Fellowes and Hank enter. Hank grabs Shannon and locks him in a wrestling pose while Latta extracts the key from his pocket. When Shannon protests, Latta loses patience and returns his insults. Miss Fellowes interjects and points out that Charlotte had cashed traveler’s checks and given Shannon money, complaining that he had also taken her to inappropriate places. Miss Fellowes bars Shannon from summoning Charlotte to corroborate his assertion that he only gave her what she asked for. Miss Fellowes announces that she spent the afternoon calling around for information about Shannon, and she learned about the circumstances that led to his expulsion from his church. Amidst the commotion, Shannon calls for Hannah, who enters and starts to defend Shannon. Latta, Miss Fellowes, and Hank exit toward the bus.

Shannon starts to follow them down the hill. Maxine chases him and leads him back, ordering him to go to his room. He refuses and then relents, lying in the hammock. Exasperated, Maxine asks, “Why do you always come here to crack up, Shannon?” (398) Shannon replies that he comes for the hammock in the middle of the rain forest. Demanding again that Shannon go to his room, Maxine suddenly realizes that the group hasn’t paid their bill and rushes to catch them. With bewilderment, Shannon asks what he did, first in English and then in Spanish as Pancho and Pedro enter. Laughing, Pancho answers in Spanish that Shannon peed on the women’s luggage. Maxine can be heard arguing with those on the tour bus, followed by the noise of the bus as Shannon watches it drive away. Wildly, Shannon tries to rip the gold cross off his neck, hurting himself until Hannah stops him and undoes the clasp. Telling Hannah to keep the cross, Shannon announces that he is going swimming and exits toward the beach. Hannah shouts for Maxine’s help, and Maxine, Pancho, and Pedro drag Shannon back to the hammock and tie him up there.

Hannah worries that the ropes are tied too tightly, but Maxine explains that Shannon has mental health crises like this on a regular basis. This has already happened twice at Costa Verde, and Maxine has funded his treatment. She plans to send for a doctor to sedate him and then, if he is still in crisis tomorrow, she will send him back to the mental hospital. After a quiet moment, Shannon asks Hannah to sit with him. The Germans enter, surprised and pleased by the spectacle of the tied-up man and delighted by the gossip that he urinated on the women’s suitcases. Hannah asks them to leave Shannon alone. Raucously, the Germans exit, and everything is silent again. Shannon pleads with Hannah to untie him., claiming that he might die from panicking, which Hannah replies is unlikely since he seems to enjoy it. Hannah goes to her room, returning with a small burner and the implements for tea. Shannon is insulted by her comment, but Hannah explains that she’s simply trying to give him a portrait of himself in words rather than in drawings.

Hannah begins to make tea. Spitefully, Shannon states that Hannah, who previously seemed sexless, is a woman after all, because women spend their entire lives trying to tie men up. Hannah replies that she is just observing his tendency toward self-indulgence, as when he ruined the women’s tour by treating the trip as if it were for his own enjoyment. She explains that she’s brewing poppyseed tea to help him relax and to allow herself and Nonno to sleep well. Nonno is restlessly reciting his poem from his room. Maliciously, Shannon suggests that Hannah put poison in Nonno’s tea to spare him further indignity, and Hannah reproaches him for his cruelty. Shannon is surprised to learn that Hannah respects him. Again, she refuses to untie him, but she agrees to light a cigarette for him. Shannon drops the lit cigarette and begins to yell that it’s burning him, but Hannah retrieves it. The noise draws Maxine, who scolds Shannon and threatens to toss him in the mental hospital. Hannah intercedes, asserting that Shannon needs to rest in the hammock alone, with the exception of Hannah’s presence.

Irked, Maxine forbids Hannah from cooking anything, even tea. The Germans start shouting for beer, but before Maxine reluctantly exits to serve them, Shannon offers to pretend that she is a teenager and have sex with her if she unties him. She rejects the proposition but seems pleased. Shannon asks for tea and Shannon chokes down the noxious-tasting liquid. The Germans march through loudly as they head to the beach with their beer. Shannon realizes that his bindings loosened during the cigarette incident and manages to free himself. He goes straight to the liquor cart to make himself a rum-coco and offers one to Hannah. She recognizes that his problems aren’t due to alcohol. Hannah understands Shannon and his “spook” (409) because she has had the same difficulties, although she has named her spook the “blue devil” (409). She had to fight him and persevere, adopting coping mechanisms for her anxiety like the poppyseed tea. Hannah asserts that everything and everyone, including her, has a darker side.

Shannon throws his rum-coco into the jungle, crowing that he hit the spook in the mouth but noting that he’ll be back in the morning with coffee. Hannah offers to bring him coffee instead, hopeful that she can persuade Maxine to let her and Nonno stay. She tells Shannon that she never had a mental health crisis because she couldn’t afford it. Painting has been her occupational therapy, and she could usually find something intimately personal in people’s eyes. Hannah describes visiting a hospice in Shanghai for indigent people; she describes the beauty in the way people cared for their dying loved ones and talks about seeing the last light of life in someone’s eyes. She admits that she has started to see that last light in Nonno’s eyes. Suddenly, Hannah gets up and asks about the noise under the deck. Shannon explains that the Mexican workers caught an iguana and tied it up. Hannah tells Shannon that she and her grandfather have been each other’s spiritual home of safety and care. Shannon asks what Hannah will do when Nonno dies, and she replies that she’ll either stop traveling or, most likely, continue on.

Shannon is surprised that she would travel alone, and Hannah points out that even with a busload of tourists, Shannon is alone—even when he seduces young girls from his tour groups. His only company is his spook. Shannon decides to go swimming, as he is tempted to ask her a rude question. Hannah encourages him to stay, saying that if he drinks her tea, she’ll answer his question. Shannon downs the tea and asks Hannah if she has ever had a love life or a sexual encounter. She describes her only two experiences. First, when she was 16, a man in a movie theater crowded next to her and pressed his knee to hers. She had screamed and he was arrested, but Hannah decided not to press charges. The second was two years ago, when a middle-aged Australian tourist bought her art and tipped Nonno well for his poem. The Australian asked her to go out on a small boat with him. She agreed because he had been so kind with his money. On the boat, he asked her if she would give him an article of clothing and then look away. She did, turning around for a few minutes while he masturbated, letting him keep what he borrowed.

Hannah found the man’s request touching and was content to have helped his loneliness without being touched in a literal sense. She explains that she isn’t disgusted by humanity except when it involves cruelty. Shannon touches Hannah’s throat, and she pushes his hand away, not interested in his physical affection. Hannah says good night; she plans to wake up early to sell paintings in town. Shannon asks if she would consider traveling with him. Hannah demurs, not wanting to make Maxine jealous. Shannon gives her his gold and bejeweled cross, telling her to sell it for money, although he doubts that Maxine will let her stay . Hannah is suddenly exhausted and asks again about the sound under deck. He tells her again about the iguana, which the Mexican boys will fatten up for eating and torment for fun in the meantime. Horrified, Hannah begs Shannon to free it. Shannon refuses because it would anger Maxine. He reproaches Hannah for judging their desire to eat a lizard.

But Hannah has seen the iguana’s terror and tells him that she’ll free the lizard if he won’t. Shannon suggests that she relates the iguana’s impending death to Nonno. Then, he agrees to cut it loose “because God won’t do it” (424), and heads under the deck. Suddenly, Nonno calls for Hannah excitedly, announcing that his poem is complete. He recites it as she writes it down. It is about having courage in the face of time and mortality. Hannah calls it beautiful and promises to type it out and mail it in for publication. Tired, Nonno wants to pray and rest. Maxine enters in her bathing suit and panics upon realizing that Shannon has escaped. Shannon enters and explains that he set free “one of God’s creatures” as an “act of grace” (51). Maxine asks Shannon to stay and help her run the hotel. Shannon looks at Hannah for the last time and then goes to the beach with Maxine, seemingly in agreement with her suggestion. Hannah returns to Nonno’s room and realizes that he has died. She panics, unsure what to do, then leans over and kisses his head.