Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses emotional abuse.

Ariane’s itch is an important motif in the novel, a physical representation of her anxiety and repressed emotions. Ariane notes that the itch starts up every night when she is in bed. The cause of the itch remains unknown, though it has been investigated by a dermatologist and a homeopath. Ariane has tried changing her sheets and her personal products, but the fierce itch persists, spreading over her entire body, tormenting her. She describes it as her “nocturnal anguish” (107) and compares it to an insect moving across her skin “faster than [her] nails can scratch” (107). 

In a revealing comment, Ariane notes that there is nothing unusual about her except for her unexplained itching and her obsessive passion for her husband. Elsewhere she observes that she has had trouble sleeping since she started going out with her husband. This shows that her debilitating itch and her passion for her husband are linked. It can be inferred that Ariane has been wary of losing her husband ever since she met him, since she considers him out of her league. The worry about him exiting her life manifests as the itch. 

Significantly, Ariane also senses that her husband is manipulative and controlling, but is unable to clearly recognize this fact.