The Book of Wonder · Chapter
Chu-bu and Sheemish explained
The chapter tells the story of two idols, Chu-bu and Sheemish, placed in the same temple.
What happens
The chapter tells the story of two idols, Chu-bu and Sheemish, placed in the same temple. Chu-bu, an older idol, becomes jealous when Sheemish is introduced and worshipped alongside him. Their rivalry escalates into a contest of miracles, each trying to cause an earthquake. Their conflicting wills inadvertently combine to produce a real earthquake that destroys the temple, burying both idols. The narrator later finds Chu-bu in the ruins and keeps him on his mantelpiece, occasionally praying to him in jest.
Themes in this chapter
Irony and Moral Ambiguity
The gods' petty jealousy leads to their own destruction, and the narrator's irreverent treatment of Chu-bu highlights the absurdity of divine pretensions.
Madness and Imagination
The gods' obsessive, silent communication and their irrational, enduring wrath reflect a kind of divine madness.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“It is not with the gods as it is with men. We are angry one with another and turn from our anger again, but the wrath of the gods is enduring.”
Unlike humans, who eventually forgive, gods hold grudges forever.
Highlights the timeless, implacable nature of divine anger.
“Chu-bu cannot do much, though once I am sure that at a game of bridge he sent me the ace of trumps after I had not held a card worth having for the whole of the evening.”
Chu-bu is mostly powerless, but the narrator humorously credits him with a lucky card in bridge.
Shows the narrator's playful, skeptical attitude toward the idol's supposed power.