Short Fiction · Chapter
Something Quite New explained
Nycteris discovers Photogen lying by the river, terrified by the darkness.
What happens
Nycteris discovers Photogen lying by the river, terrified by the darkness. She comforts him, mistaking him for a girl, and he explains his fear of the night and his longing for the sun. Nycteris, who has only known the moon, tries to soothe him with her love of the night's beauty. Photogen falls asleep in her lap, and she watches over him.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
Nycteris and Photogen have opposing perceptions of light and dark, each believing their own experience is reality.
Suffering and Divine Chastening
Photogen's terror and shame in the darkness reflect a form of suffering that challenges his former courage.
Characters to notice
Key passages
““You call it dark!” she said again, as if she could not get rid of the absurdity of the idea; “why, I could count every blade of the green hair—I suppose it is what the books call grass—within two yards of me! And just look at the great lamp! It is brighter than usual today, and I can’t think why you should be frightened, or call it dark!””
Nycteris cannot understand why Photogen calls the night dark, as she can see clearly and finds the moonlight beautiful.
Highlights the contrast between Nycteris's night-adapted vision and Photogen's fear of darkness.
““If you were a man, I should kill you.” “A man?” repeated Nycteris: “what is that? How could I be that? We are both girls—are we not?””
Photogen angrily insists he is not a girl, while Nycteris, unfamiliar with gender distinctions, assumes they are both girls.
Illustrates Nycteris's innocence and the cultural gap between the two characters.