Summary
The next day, Rosie and Don continue their visit by visiting some famous sites and going to a baseball game. The subject of Rosie having a boyfriend comes up, and Rosie explains that she avoids romantic relationships because she has a hard time trusting men. Because Rosie feels disappointed by Phil, she is skeptical of other men as well. For their third day, Rosie has plans to meet with a researcher at Columbia, and Don spontaneously agrees to go with the campus with her, even though it will mean he has one day fewer to spend at the museum. Rosie's contact suggests that Rosie consider switching from psychology to psychiatry and proposes that she could study medicine at Columbia. During their visit, a genetics researcher recognizes Don and mentions that Don would be welcome to join their department if he ever wanted to.
The next day, Don and Rosie finally visit the Museum of Natural History and they have a great time together. Afterward, they go to collect their final sample, from Max Freyberg. Rosie is posing as a journalist, with Don as her photographer. Since they have to meet him at his office, it will be tricky to obtain a sample. The situation becomes tense, so Don ducks into the restroom and concocts a plan to give Rosie time to slip out. Meanwhile, Don precariously climbs out the bathroom window. He does manage to retrieve a sample from the bathroom, completing their tasks. Back at the hotel, Rosie and Don end up kissing. It seems like they are going to have sex, but when Don reveals that Gene gave him a book describing different sexual positions, Rosie says that she can't continue. Don is concerned; ultimately, he goes back to his room and spends the night alone.
The next day, Don and Rosie fly back to Australia, and Don tries to understand why he feels so upset. He finally understands that if he and Rosie had had sex, he would have become emotionally attached and wanted to pursue a relationship with her. Since he knows that Rosie is unsuitable, and also that she has said she does not want any attachments, he wanted to avoid putting himself in this relationship. Back in Australia, Gene notices a photo that Don has been using and reveals that he was also present at the graduation party. He had been the genetics tutor for the medical students and had been the one to take the photo. Gene shows interest in Rosie's mother and also comments on Geoffrey Case, explaining that Case suffered from bipolar disorder and died by suicide. Don realizes that Gene could also potentially be Rosie's father, and he discreetly collects a sample.
A few days later, Rosie and Don gather to test the samples from Gene, Max, and Isaac (Don still has not told Rosie that he has a sample from Margaret Case). Rosie is curious about the identity of the unknown third sample (belonging to Gene), and Don is hesitant to tell her, which leads her to become adamant that this is the sample belonging to her real father. As they chat, Rosie reveals that once she confirms the identity of her father, she plans to reveal his past. Knowing this could impact Gene (and, by extension, Claudia), Don objects. Rosie becomes frustrated and storms off without the samples being tested. Almost immediately afterward, Don is interrupted by the Dean, who catches him using the genetics equipment for his own personal means. The Dean has gotten word of Don's fictitious genetics project and is very angry with Don. She demands documentation to validate the project.
Don accepts that he is likely going to lose his job and that there is no point in him continuing with the Wife Project. Gene offers to help Don try to cover up the fake research project, but Don declines. Gene does hint that Don might be in love with Rosie, and Don is startled to realize that this could be a possibility. Especially since Rosie had criticized his inability to feel love, Don is suddenly filled with hope that he can become a desirable partner.
Analysis
The remainder of Rosie and Don's trip goes so well that it seems inevitable they will move to a romantic relationship. Rosie kissing Don and then inviting him to have sex with her signal that she is indeed attracted to Don, even after their various awkward interactions. Don keeps winning Rosie over with his kindness and his charmingly quirky behavior. When the pair spend time together in New York, their relationship can also flourish and move to new heights. The change of scenery gives them the chance to try new things and be different versions of themselves; Don also observes that he feels like New York (a large, cosmopolitan city where strange behavior doesn't really phase most people) is a place where he can feel more comfortable being himself.
However, Don (as he later realizes) unconsciously self-sabotages the potential intimacy with Rosie. By showing her the book and revealing that Gene gave it to him, Don hints that he might be at least a bit like Gene: a chauvinistic, selfish man who is mostly interested in his own gratification. Rosie has been attracted to Don precisely because she sees him being different from this masculine stereotype. In fact, Rosie specifically comments on being surprised to see Don doing things like drinking beer and talking about sports. The very emotional connection that makes sex more appealing to Rosie makes it more overwhelming to Don: for him, it would be a very big step, and he cannot handle the complexity of beginning a sexual relationship with Rosie while knowing that it will be casual and temporary.
The time in New York represents a high point for Don, and a hint at the potential of what his life could be like if he could be with Rosie, and free of expectations. However, things begin to deteriorate as soon as he gets back to Australia. The possibility that Gene might be Rosie's biological father (which seems increasingly likely by this point) represents an unexpected plot development and an example of potential irony where the readers' expectations would be subverted. Gene's voracious sexual appetite makes it seem likely that he would have had a one-night stand with Rosie's mother, and Don is now placed in an emotionally and ethically complex situation. He wants to make Rosie happy, but he also feels protective of Gene, as well as Claudia and their children. It is also possible that Don is unconsciously prolonging the Father Project because he is afraid of losing Rosie. However, Don's erratic and avoidant behavior frustrates Rosie, who has already had to deal with many inconsistencies and mixed signals from him.
While Don's personal life is growing increasingly tense, his professional life also catches up with him. Throughout the Father Project, Don engages in many examples of inconsistent and self-delusional behavior. Notably, even though he thinks of himself as a person of great integrity, he acts in an ethically dubious way by misusing university resources to test the samples. This action is particularly striking because Don is so critical of other people when he sees them acting in what he deems to be ethically compromised ways. Don's strong integrity is manifested in his acceptance of his fate when the Dean catches him. Don does not try to defend himself or advocate for saving his job. This might also hint that by now, Don doesn't really care; he feels adrift without Rosie, so he lacks the will to fight to save his job.
While Gene has sometimes been a negative force in the novel, he does seem to genuinely care about Don, and he is astute enough to point out that it seems like Don is in love with Rosie. This information is obvious to everyone else, but completely transformational for Don. It gives him a new "project" at a time when he is lacking structure: what might be called the love project. Don is suddenly very motivated to become someone Rosie could love, but he approaches this task with the same analytical and systematic mindset. Don's intentions are good, but he unfortunately misunderstands that emotions cannot be solved like an algorithm or a calculus problem. He also latches onto the idea of changing himself to become the sort of partner whom he thinks Rosie would want, and he doesn't realize that Rosie has already started to fall in love with him because of who he actually is.
