Sylvie and Bruno · Chapter
XI: The Man in the Moon explained
The narrator introduces the children to Mein Herr, an enigmatic old man who discusses strange customs from his homeland, including artificial selection for lightness, walking sticks, and a map on a one-to-one scale.
What happens
The narrator introduces the children to Mein Herr, an enigmatic old man who discusses strange customs from his homeland, including artificial selection for lightness, walking sticks, and a map on a one-to-one scale. He also describes a tiny planet with peculiar battle and government systems. Bruno and Sylvie interact with him, and Lady Muriel briefly takes the children away, leaving the narrator and Mein Herr to converse about youth and education.
Themes in this chapter
Social Critique and Class
Mein Herr's tales of government by many kings and one subject, and the absurdities of war and postal systems, offer a satirical critique of societal structures.
Education and Learning
Mein Herr reflects on his past as a teacher and the cyclical nature of educational theories, hinting at the failures of progressive ideas.
Reality vs. Fantasy
The chapter blurs reality and fantasy through Mein Herr's impossible inventions (lighter-than-water people, walking sticks, invisible dogs) and the tiny planet's bizarre rules.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator introduces the children to Mein Herr and engages in conversation about his strange tales.
- Bruno
Bruno interacts with Mein Herr, asking questions about age and the invisible dog, and later claps in excitement at the idea of the Man-in-the-Moon.
- Sylvie
Sylvie accompanies Bruno, admits to making the dog invisible, and is carried off by Lady Muriel.
- Mein Herr
Mein Herr is the central figure of the chapter, sharing fantastical stories about his homeland and a tiny planet, and reflecting on age and education.
- Lady Muriel Orme
Lady Muriel briefly appears, taking the children away with the comment 'This is Liberty-Hall!'
Key passages
“Crabbed age and youth cannot live together!”
Old age and youth are incompatible.
Mein Herr quotes this proverb cheerfully when the narrator asks if he minds children.
“We have gone on selecting walking-sticks — always keeping those that walked best — till we have obtained some, that can walk by themselves!”
Through selective breeding, we have created walking sticks that can walk on their own.
Mein Herr describes the application of artificial selection to inanimate objects.
“We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!”
We created a map that is exactly the same size as the country itself.
Mein Herr recounts the ultimate absurdity in map-making, which the farmers rejected because it blocked sunlight.