The Adventures of Pinocchio · Chapter
The Flying Egg explained
Pinocchio, starving after a day without food, searches desperately for something to eat in Geppetto's house.
What happens
Pinocchio, starving after a day without food, searches desperately for something to eat in Geppetto's house. He finds an egg, but when he tries to cook it, a chick hatches and flies away, leaving him hungry and regretful of his earlier disobedience.
Themes in this chapter
Obedience and Rebellion
Pinocchio's hunger and regret highlight the consequences of his earlier rebellion against Geppetto.
Deception and Gullibility
The egg's deception—appearing as food but yielding a chick—echoes the theme of appearances being misleading.
Characters to notice
- Pinocchio
Starving and desperate, Pinocchio searches for food, finds an egg, but loses it when a chick hatches and flies away.
- Geppetto
Mentioned by Pinocchio with regret as 'my papa' whom he disobeyed.
- The Talking Cricket
Referenced by Pinocchio as being right about his rebellion.
Key passages
“Poor Pinocchio ran quickly to the fireplace, where a saucepan was boiling, and was going to take off the lid to see what was in it, but the saucepan was only painted on the wall.”
Pinocchio rushed to the fireplace to check a boiling pot, only to discover it was just a painting.
Illustrates Pinocchio's desperation and the illusory nature of his hope.
“But, instead of the white and the yolk a little chicken popped out very gay and polite. Making a beautiful courtesy it said to him: 'A thousand thanks, Master Pinocchio, for saving me the trouble of breaking the shell.'”
When Pinocchio cracked the egg, a polite chick emerged, thanked him, and flew away.
The magical twist underscores Pinocchio's misfortune and the theme of deceptive appearances.