Erewhon · Chapter
Erewhon explained
The narrator recounts his journey into the remote and mysterious land of Erewhon, where he discovers a society that inverts many conventional moral and legal norms, particularly regarding illness and crime.
What happens
The narrator recounts his journey into the remote and mysterious land of Erewhon, where he discovers a society that inverts many conventional moral and legal norms, particularly regarding illness and crime. He is captured, imprisoned, and gradually introduced to the strange customs and philosophies of the Erewhonians, including their unique views on health, morality, and the relationship between machines and humanity.
Themes in this chapter
Inversion of Morality
Erewhonian society treats illness as a crime and crime as a misfortune, inverting conventional moral judgments.
Machines and Evolution
The Erewhonians have banned machines out of fear that they might evolve and surpass humanity, reflecting Darwinian anxieties.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The protagonist and observer who travels to Erewhon and documents its customs.
- Erewhonians
The inhabitants of Erewhon, whose inverted moral and legal systems are central to the chapter.
- Chowbok
A native who guides the narrator initially but later deserts him in the valley.
- Arowhena
An Erewhonian woman with whom the narrator falls in love.
- The Judge
Presides over the trial of a consumptive man, illustrating Erewhonian legal attitudes toward illness.
Key passages
“The Erewhonians treat illness as a crime and crime as a misfortune.”
In Erewhon, being sick is considered a punishable offense, while committing a crime is seen as an unfortunate event deserving sympathy.
Highlights the central inversion of morality in Erewhonian society.
“They have banished all machines from the country for fear that they might develop consciousness and eventually supplant humanity.”
Erewhon has outlawed machinery because they worry machines could become self-aware and take over from humans.
Illustrates the theme of machines and evolution.