Short Fiction · Chapter
Put Me in Again explained
A prince, searching for a worthy princess, encounters the bewitched princess who has lost her gravity.
What happens
A prince, searching for a worthy princess, encounters the bewitched princess who has lost her gravity. He rescues her from the lake, but she floats away in anger. After a quarrel, he agrees to put her back in the water, and they share a joyful swim. The princess returns to her room via a balcony, and the prince finds a hiding place nearby, dreaming of her.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
The prince mistakes the princess's laughter for screaming and later cannot believe she floats; the boundary between reality and enchantment is blurred.
Vanity and Self-Conceit
The prince seeks a perfect princess and initially dismisses the bewitched princess due to her lack of gravity, reflecting his own pride.
Characters to notice
- The Princess
The bewitched princess who has lost her gravity; she is angry at the prince for rescuing her but later enjoys swimming with him.
- Prince
A wandering prince searching for a perfect princess; he rescues the princess from the lake and falls in love with her.
Key passages
“Put me up directly.”
Lift me back into the water immediately.
The princess demands to be returned to the lake after the prince rescues her.
“How do you like falling in?”
What do you think of being plunged into the water?
The prince asks the princess about her experience of being thrown into the lake.