The First Men in the Moon · Chapter
The Selenite's Face explained
Bedford and Cavor awaken in darkness, bound hand and foot, and realize they have been captured by the Selenites.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Alien Encounter and Communication
The first direct, face-to-face encounter with a Selenite highlights the profound otherness and incomprehensibility of alien life.
Human Nature and Irrationality
Bedford's shock and horror at the Selenite's face reveal human instinctive fear of the unfamiliar and the limits of rational understanding.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Bedford
Awakens bound and frightened, struggles to recall events, and is horrified by the Selenite's appearance.
- Mr. Cavor
Also bound, groans from a headache, and is irritable; identifies that the Selenites have captured them.
- The Selenites
One Selenite enters the cell, revealing an alien face with no nose, bulging side eyes, and a downward-curved mouth; it observes the captives silently.
Key passages
“I found myself sitting crouched together in a tumultuous darkness.”
Bedford wakes up in a chaotic, pitch-black space, disoriented and confused.
Opening line establishes the captives' helplessness.
“It seemed as though it wasn't a face, as though it must needs be a mask, a horror, a deformity, that would presently be disavowed or explained.”
Bedford cannot accept the Selenite's face as real, thinking it must be a disguise or mistake.
Highlights the psychological impact of encountering an alien being.