In the dining room at Sorin’s house, Masha tells Trigorin that she has decided to “tear the love out of [her] heart, just tear it out by the roots” (37). She is to marry Medvedenko, even though she does not love him, as a way to forget her broken heart. Trigorin notices Masha is drinking heavily again and comments on it, but Masha shrugs him off. She sees her fate as set in stone, and is determined to see her plan through, even if it means continuing to keep the pain at bay with her alcohol and snuff.

Nina, meanwhile, is at a crossroads in her life. As a game, she holds a fist to Trigorin and asks him to guess odd or even. He picks even and she replies “Wrong. That means ‘No’. I’m trying to decide whether or not to go on the stage. If only somebody would tell me what to do” (39). Trigorin warns her that this is a decision only she can make for herself. Nina then presents Trigorin with another decision of his own to make when she gives him a parting gift. She presents him with a gold medallion that has his initials engraved on one side of it, and on the other side is the title of one of his books.