The First Men in the Moon · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes Lucian's Icaromenippus, referencing a journey from Earth to the Moon, setting a tone of fantastical lunar travel.
Chapter 2
The First Men in the Moon
The narrative begins with Mr. Bedford, a struggling playwright, retreating to Lympne to write. There he meets the eccentric scientist Mr. Cavor, who is experimenting with a mysterious substance he calls Cavorite, capable of blocking gravity. Their accidental creation of Cavorite leads to the construction of a spherical spaceship, and the two men embark on a journey to the Moon. After landing, they explore the lunar surface during a sunrise, but lose their sphere. They encounter strange lunar life, including Mooncalves, and are captured by the insectoid Selenites. After a violent escape, Bedford returns to Earth alone, while Cavor remains on the Moon, later sending radio messages describing his audience with the Grand Lunar. The messages cease after Cavor inadvertently reveals humanity's warlike nature, leading to his probable demise.
Chapter 3
Mr. Bedford Meets Mr. Cavor at Lympne
Bedford, a failed businessman seeking solitude to write a play, rents a bungalow in Lympne, Kent. There he meets the eccentric scientist Mr. Cavor, who is working on a substance opaque to all forms of radiant energy, including gravity. Bedford, seeing immense commercial potential, persuades Cavor to partner with him in developing and exploiting this substance, which they call Cavorite.
Chapter 4
II: The First Making of Cavorite
Bedford recounts the accidental creation of Cavorite, which occurs when Cavor's neglect of the furnace leads to a catastrophic explosion. The substance, once formed, cuts off gravity, causing a violent upheaval of air and debris. Despite the destruction, Cavor is elated, insisting the experiment was a success. Bedford, though shaken, decides to continue working with Cavor, recognizing the immense potential of the discovery.
Chapter 5
The Building of the Sphere
Cavor reveals his plan to build a Cavorite sphere for space travel, initially proposing a trip to the Moon and beyond. Bedford, after initial skepticism, becomes enthusiastic and they work tirelessly to construct the sphere. As completion nears, Bedford experiences a crisis of fear and doubt, briefly deciding not to join the voyage.
Chapter 6
Inside the Sphere
Bedford and Cavor seal themselves inside the sphere and launch into space. They experience weightlessness and the strange sensation of floating in their small, self-contained world. Bedford initially panics and considers backing out, but it is too late. They settle into the journey, realizing they have no occupation and must adapt to the new conditions.
Chapter 7
The Journey to the Moon
Bedford and Cavor travel through space in the Cavorite sphere, experiencing weightlessness, the stunning starry sky, and the growing moon. They adjust to the new orientation of gravity, sleep, and discuss the possibility of life on the moon. Cavor opens a blind to let the earth's gravity adjust their course, giving Bedford a brief view of Earth receding.
Chapter 8
VI: The Landing on the Moon
Bedford and Cavor descend to the lunar surface, enduring a rough landing inside the sphere. After the jarring impact, they find themselves in darkness within a crater, waiting for the glass to clear and the lunar day to begin. Bedford expresses disappointment at the initial obscurity, but they prepare for their first view of the moon.
Chapter 9
VII: Sunrise on the Moon
Bedford and Cavor experience the dramatic lunar sunrise, which transforms the frozen, airless landscape into a boiling, melting chaos. The sphere is violently tossed as the solid air liquefies and vaporizes, and they are knocked unconscious. Upon waking, they find themselves on a bank of earthy rock, with the surface of the moon now exposed.
Chapter 10
A Lunar Morning
Bedford and Cavor awaken to a transformed lunar landscape as the sun rises, revealing an atmosphere and signs of life. They witness an astonishingly rapid growth of plant-like organisms from seeds, which burst and develop into a thriving, alien vegetation under the intense sunlight, confirming that the Moon is a living world.
Chapter 11
Prospecting Begins
Bedford and Cavor venture out onto the lunar surface, learning to adapt to the Moon's low gravity through a series of leaps and falls. They explore the growing vegetation and desolate landscape, but soon realize they have lost sight of their sphere, prompting a moment of panic and a search for their only means of return.
Chapter 12
X: Lost Men in the Moon
Bedford and Cavor realize they have lost sight of their sphere after exploring the lunar surface. As they search desperately through the rapidly growing jungle, they hear mysterious booming sounds from beneath the ground, suggesting a subterranean world. Fearful and hungry, they hide in a thicket, uncertain of what beings might emerge.
Chapter 13
XI: The Mooncalf Pastures
Bedford and Cavor, lost on the lunar surface, crawl in terror through alien vegetation as they hear the bellowing of mooncalves and glimpse Selenites herding them. They observe the gigantic, slug-like mooncalves and the armored Selenites, and narrowly avoid falling into a hidden abyss when a flat plain turns out to be a sliding lid. After eating a strange fungus, both become intoxicated and recklessly charge at a group of Selenites, leading to their capture and imprisonment beneath the moon's surface.
Chapter 14
The Selenite's Face
Bedford and Cavor awaken in darkness, bound hand and foot, and realize they have been captured by the Selenites. A door opens to reveal a Selenite whose alien face shocks Bedford, lacking a nose and ears, with bulging eyes and a downward-curved mouth. The creature observes them silently before closing the door, leaving them in darkness.
Chapter 15
Mr. Cavor Makes Some Suggestions
Imprisoned by the Selenites, Bedford and Cavor grapple with despair and regret. Cavor theorizes about the hollow interior of the moon and speculates on the intelligence of their captors, while Bedford bitterly laments their folly. They are fed by the Selenites, and Cavor proposes using geometric proofs to establish communication with the alien beings.
Chapter 16
Experiments in Intercourse
After being fed and partially unbound, Bedford and Cavor attempt to communicate with the Selenites through gestures and sounds. They are led into a vast cavern dominated by a colossal, incomprehensible machine that produces the blue light illuminating the underground world. Cavor insists on demonstrating intelligent interest in the machinery, resisting the Selenites' attempts to move them along.
Chapter 17
The Giddy Bridge
Bedford and Cavor, captured by Selenites, are marched through lunar caverns and tunnels. They endure goads and chains, discussing the Selenites' intentions and the vastness of the moon's interior. When a Selenite goads Bedford, he strikes back, killing it with surprising ease. In the ensuing chaos, they free themselves and flee back toward the tunnel, using the moon's low gravity to make enormous strides.
Chapter 18
Points of View
Bedford and Cavor debate their next move after losing their sphere and being hunted by Selenites. Bedford argues for a practical escape and return to Earth with weapons, while Cavor considers attempting communication with the Selenites. They discover their chains are made of gold, and Bedford insists on finding the sphere before the lunar night kills them.
Chapter 19
The Fight in the Cave of the Moon Butchers
Bedford and Cavor ascend a narrow cleft to a grating overlooking a large cavern where Selenites are butchering mooncalf carcasses. They enlarge the grating and enter, but are soon attacked by Selenites. Bedford fights fiercely, discovering his superior strength, and routs the Selenites, then continues after Cavor.
Chapter 20
In the Sunlight
After emerging from the lunar interior, Bedford and Cavor find themselves in the harsh sunlight of the moon's surface. They realize they have been on the moon for ten days and have only four days of daylight left. They discuss the futility of their mission, the danger of the Selenites, and the possibility of never finding the sphere. Cavor laments the potential misuse of his discovery by humanity, while they plan to search systematically for the sphere before the lunar night overtakes them.
Chapter 21
Mr. Bedford Alone
Bedford, separated from Cavor on the lunar surface, searches desperately for their lost sphere as the sun sets and the lunar night approaches. He finds the sphere but hesitates to leave it, wrestling with existential questions about human purpose and the irrational drive to explore. Ultimately, he forces himself to continue searching for Cavor, but the growing cold and silence fill him with dread.
Chapter 22
Mr. Bedford in Infinite Space
Alone in the Cavorite sphere after losing Cavor on the Moon, Bedford drifts through space in a state of profound isolation and existential dissociation. He struggles to maintain his sense of identity, oscillating between practical concerns about returning to Earth and abstract, megalomaniacal reflections on the nature of self and reality. The chapter explores his psychological disintegration and gradual reconnection with his earthly self as he begins to feel the pull of Earth's gravity.
Chapter 23
Mr. Bedford at Littlestone
Bedford returns to Earth alone in the sphere, landing in the sea near Littlestone. He struggles with Earth's gravity, emerges onto a beach at dawn, and is discovered by four young men. He convinces them to help carry his moon gold to a hotel, where he tells them the truth about his lunar journey, though they do not believe him. The chapter ends with Bedford reflecting on his return to terrestrial life and his longing for Cavorite.
Chapter 24
XXII: The Astonishing Communication of Mr. Julius Wendigee
Bedford learns that Mr. Julius Wendigee, a Dutch electrician, has been receiving fragmentary messages in English from Mr. Cavor on the moon. Bedford joins Wendigee at his observatory to assist in recording the messages. Cavor is alive, free, and in good health among the Selenites, but believes Bedford is dead. The messages are intermittent and incomplete due to technical limitations, and the crucial instructions for making Cavorite have been lost.
Chapter 25
An Abstract of the Six Messages First Received from Mr. Cavor
Bedford, now acting as editor of Cavor's transmitted messages, presents an abstract of the first six messages. He protests Cavor's unfair characterization of him as impulsive and quarrelsome, and disputes Cavor's account of their capture and separation. The messages then describe Cavor's descent into the moon's interior via a great shaft, the phosphorescent Central Sea, the Selenite civilization, and his illness before being brought before the Grand Lunar.
Chapter 26
XXIV: The Natural History of the Selenites
Cavor's messages from the moon describe the highly specialized social organization of the Selenites, who are born and trained for specific roles, with their bodies and minds shaped accordingly. He details the three main classes—administrators, experts, and erudite—and notes the absence of books or records, as all knowledge is stored in living brains. Cavor also recounts his progress in learning the Selenite language with the help of Phi-oo, Tsi-puff, and a football-headed thinker, and he continues to transmit messages to Earth without interference.
Chapter 27
XXV: The Grand Lunar
Cavor is brought before the Grand Lunar, the ruler of the Moon, in a vast, awe-inspiring palace. Through an interpreter, Phi-oo, the Grand Lunar questions Cavor extensively about Earth, its inhabitants, and their ways. Cavor describes human housing, government, science, and war, revealing humanity's fragmented societies and violent conflicts. The Grand Lunar expresses amazement and horror at Earth's irrationality and waste, particularly regarding war. The chapter ends with Cavor's detailed account of earthly warfare, which deeply disturbs the Selenites.
Chapter 28
XXVI: The Last Message Cavor Sent to the Earth
Cavor's penultimate message fades out, and after a period of silence, his final broken transmission arrives, revealing his regret for revealing too much to the Grand Lunar and a fragment of the Cavorite formula. The chapter speculates on his fate, imagining him being overpowered by the Selenites and silenced forever.
Chapter 29
Endnotes
The endnotes provide additional observations about the explorers' physiological experiences on the Moon, including a lack of hunger and reduced carbon dioxide output, as well as notes on the Selenites' use of metal, particularly gold, for construction.
