# The Princess of the Hither Isles explained — Darkwater

> Chapter companion for Darkwater by W. E. B. Du Bois.

## What happens

A princess trapped in the dreary Hither Isles longs for the sun and the golden Yonder Kingdom. She is courted by its king, who values gold above all, but she is drawn instead to a black beggar man whose face reflects the sun's understanding. As she follows the beggar and his retinue of Death and Pain toward the sun, the king strikes her hand off, creating a chasm that separates her from the sun, leaving her in despair.

## Themes in this chapter

### Racial Oppression and White Supremacy

The king's dismissal of the beggar as 'a nigger' and his refusal to allow the princess to follow him illustrate racial prejudice and the enforcement of racial hierarchy.

### Double Consciousness and the Veil

The princess's veiled soul and her longing for the sun, contrasted with the king's materialism, reflect the dual awareness of beauty and oppression.

### Economic Injustice and Labor Exploitation

The king's obsession with gold and the beggar's toil in the slime symbolize the exploitation of labor for material wealth.

## Character check-ins

### The Woman

The princess of the Hither Isles, who seeks the sun and understanding, ultimately leaping toward the beggar.

### The Stranger

The king of Yonder Kingdom, who values gold and opposes the princess's quest, striking her hand off.

### The Messenger

The black beggar man, who represents the sun's understanding and leads the procession.

### The Colonel

The skeleton of Death, part of the beggar's retinue.

### The Judge's Wife

The twisted woman called Pain, part of the beggar's retinue.

## Key lines

> Her soul was beautiful, wherefore she kept it veiled in lightly-laced humility and fear

Her soul was beautiful, so she hid it behind a thin layer of humility and fear.

_Introduces the princess's hidden inner beauty and her protective veil._

> Niggers and dagoes, said the king of Yonder Kingdom

The king casually used racial slurs to dismiss the beggar.

_Highlights the king's racism and the dehumanization of the beggar._

> It's a Negro! he growled darkly; it may not be. The woman quivered. It's a nigger! he repeated fiercely. It's neither God nor man, but a nigger!

The king angrily insisted the beggar was not human, just a 'nigger,' causing the princess to tremble.

_Emphasizes the king's violent racial prejudice and its impact on the princess._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/the-princess-of-the-hither-isles
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters