# Put Me in Again explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by George MacDonald.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters/ix-put-me-in-again
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_21_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_21_se/chapters