# IX: The Sleep of Paradise explained — The Blue Lagoon

> Chapter companion for The Blue Lagoon by H. de Vere Stacpoole.

## What happens

Under the moonlight, the island is depicted in serene beauty. Two human beings, naked and clasped in each other's arms, sleep at the base of an ancient stone idol. Their union is described as natural, blameless, and without sin—a marriage according to Nature, consummated under the shadow of a dead religion. They are blissfully ignorant, feeling that life has changed and they have become one.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature vs. Civilization

The chapter contrasts the natural, blameless union of the couple with the dead religion represented by the ancient stone idol, highlighting the tension between natural instinct and human constructs.

### Love and Connection

The couple's embrace is depicted as a pure, instinctual love, a marriage according to Nature, free from societal judgment.

## Character check-ins

### Dick

One of the two human beings asleep at the base of the stone idol, clasped in each other's arms.

### Emmeline

The other human being asleep with Dick, sharing a natural and blameless union under the ancient idol.

## Key lines

> The thing had been conducted just as the birds conduct their love affairs. An affair absolutely natural, absolutely blameless, and without sin.

Their love was as simple and innocent as birds mating, completely natural and free from any sense of wrongdoing.

_Emphasizes the purity and instinctual nature of their union._

> It was a marriage according to Nature, without feast or guests, consummated with accidental cynicism under the shadow of a religion a thousand years dead.

Their bond was a natural marriage, lacking ceremony or witnesses, and ironically took place in the shadow of an ancient, forgotten religion.

_Highlights the contrast between natural love and outdated human traditions._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters/part-i-ix-the-sleep-of-paradise
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blue_lagoon_se/chapters