Short Fiction · Chapter
Vox Populi explained
The narrator describes a conventional village where an artist's unconventional creation provokes public outrage.
What happens
The narrator describes a conventional village where an artist's unconventional creation provokes public outrage. While resting by a bronze statue of 'The Father of the Ages,' he observes two old women and their dog reacting with moral disapproval. The dog barks 'Error' at the statue, and soon all the dogs in the park join in, symbolizing the collective, mindless condemnation of the masses.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Decay
The old women and the dogs represent the hypocritical moral outrage of society against artistic expression that defies convention.
Illusion and Reality
The narrator's half-closed eyes reveal a simplified, synthetic view of reality, contrasting with the dogs' misguided perception of the statue as an enemy.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The first-person narrator who observes the scene and reflects on the nature of public opinion.
Key passages
“This little village is the most conventional in the world. When, as it sometimes happens, an artist in presenting to the world the product of his imagination ventures to overstep the prescribed bounds of convention, thereby desecrating the gifts a kind Providence has bestowed upon him, not only are the people filled with a spirit of righteous indignation, but the little dogs become indignant as well.”
The village is extremely conventional; whenever an artist creates something unconventional, both the people and their dogs react with outrage.
Sets up the central satire of the chapter: the automatic, collective condemnation of anything that breaks social norms.
“I have observed that one is able to view the world more synthetically when one looks upon it with half closed eyes; all lines become more simple and cleancut, all confusing gradations of shade are eliminated, while figures glide back and forth over the scene as silhouettes in separate planes.”
Looking at the world with half-closed eyes simplifies it, making outlines clearer and removing confusing details.
The narrator's method of perception contrasts with the dogs' simplistic, reactive judgment.
““Er‑ror,” he growls, and rushes at the group in bronze with such unmistakable fury that the old women become frightened and are silenced at once. “Er‑ror—Er‑ror—Er‑ror—””
The dog growls 'Error' and attacks the statue with such fury that the old women are scared into silence.
The dog's reaction mirrors the mindless, aggressive rejection of art that challenges convention.