# XIII: Reconstruction explained — Nordenholt’s Million

> Chapter companion for Nordenholt’s Million by J. J. Connington.

## What happens

The narrator returns from London and discusses with Nordenholt the brutal foundations of humanity and the need for practical reconstruction. Nordenholt advises him to build on realistic principles rather than idealistic dreams. The narrator then collaborates with Elsa Huntingtower on planning the new communities, where she brings a feminine perspective that challenges standardized designs and emphasizes happiness and altruism. Their work together deepens their intellectual bond, while Nordenholt remains a distant, ruthless force overseeing the project.

## Themes in this chapter

### Human Nature and Brutality

Nordenholt argues that humanity is built on a brute basis, using the analogy of a wolf-pack to explain the foundations of society.

### Utopian Dreams vs. Reality

The narrator and Elsa plan a new society, balancing idealistic dreams (Fata Morgana) with practical constraints; Nordenholt warns against straining humanity too high.

### Class and Labor Exploitation

Nordenholt notes the elimination of the idle class and the fiction of money in the Nitrogen Area, reflecting a restructuring of labor and class.

## Character check-ins

### Nordenholt

Guides the narrator on reconstruction, emphasizing the brute basis of humanity and the need for practical, flexible planning; remains aloof and grimly focused on his own tasks.

### Flint

The narrator, who is tasked with planning reconstruction; struggles with confidence but gradually develops plans with Elsa's help.

### Elsa Huntingtower

Collaborates with the narrator on reconstruction plans, bringing a feminine perspective that prioritizes happiness, altruism, and individuality over standardization.

### Glendyne

Suspected by the narrator of reporting his London experiences to Nordenholt.

## Key lines

> The whole of our machine is constructed on a brute basis. Did you need to go to London to see that? Why, man, every time you walk you swing your left hand and your right foot in time with each other; and that's only a legacy of some four-footed ancestor which ran with the near foreleg and off hind-leg acting in unison.

Nordenholt explains that human nature is fundamentally animalistic, using the example of walking as a remnant of quadrupedal locomotion.

_Highlights the theme of human nature and brutality._

> She wanted the new world to be a happy world; and each of her suggestions and all of her criticism took this as a basis.

Elsa's primary goal in planning the new society was to ensure happiness for its inhabitants.

_Reflects Elsa's altruistic and idealistic approach to reconstruction._

> Dream-cities are not to be trodden by the human foot. The refining of mankind will be a longer process than the building of cities; and only a pure race could live in happiness in that Theleme which we planned.

The narrator reflects that ideal utopias are unattainable for current humanity, as moral refinement takes longer than physical construction.

_Connects to the theme of utopian dreams versus reality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nordenholt_s_million_se/chapters/xiii-reconstruction
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nordenholt_s_million_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/nordenholt_s_million_se/chapters