A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder · Chapter
Escape explained
The narrator reveals Layelah's escape plan to Almah, who eagerly agrees to flee.
What happens
The narrator reveals Layelah's escape plan to Almah, who eagerly agrees to flee. They prepare to escape using an athaleb, a flying monster, and with the unwitting help of the Epet, they harness the creature and fly away from the Kosekin city.
Themes in this chapter
Inverted Social Order
The Kosekin's inverted values are highlighted: the Epet (servant) holds high rank, and women freely pursue men, contrasting with Victorian norms.
Survival and Hope
The narrator and Almah choose a risky escape over certain death, driven by hope for freedom.
Love and Selflessness
The narrator remains faithful to Almah despite Layelah's persistent advances, and Almah willingly risks everything for their shared future.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Plans the escape with Almah, resists Layelah's advances, and pilots the athaleb.
- Almah
Joyfully agrees to escape with the narrator, accompanies him on the athaleb.
- Layelah
Urges the narrator to flee with her, unaware of his plan with Almah; leaves with forgiveness.
- The Kohen
Spends time with Almah, unaware of the escape plan.
- Epet
The feeder of the athalebs, unknowingly assists the narrator by harnessing the athaleb and opening the gates.
Key passages
“Death was before us here, and every jom as it passed only brought it nearer. True, we were treated with the utmost kindness, we lived in royal splendor, we had enormous retinues; but all this was a miserable mockery, since it all served as the prelude to our inevitable doom.”
The narrator reflects that their luxurious life among the Kosekin is a hollow prelude to their sacrificial death, making any risk worthwhile.
Highlights the theme of survival and hope versus the inverted social order's deadly hospitality.
“It’s very easy to be faithful to one’s own truelove in England, when other fair ladies hold aloof and wait to be sought; but here among the Kosekin, women have as much liberty in making love as men, and there is no law or custom about it.”
The narrator contrasts Victorian courtship norms with Kosekin customs, where women freely pursue men, making his fidelity to Almah more difficult.
Illustrates the inverted social order and the narrator's cultural discomfort.
“The Epet heard my words with perfect coolness, as though they conveyed the most natural request in the world, and then proceeded to obey me, just as at home a servant might hear and obey his master, who might say, 'I should like to take a ride; will you harness the bay mare?'”
The Epet, a high-ranking servant, calmly helps the narrator harness the athaleb, treating the request as ordinary.
Shows the Kosekin's willingness to assist, even in an escape, due to their inverted values.