# Erewhon explained — Erewhon

> Chapter companion for Erewhon by Samuel Butler.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/erewhon_se/chapters/erewhon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/erewhon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/erewhon_se/chapters