The Gods of Mars · Chapter
The Plant Men explained
John Carter, standing on a bluff by the Hudson River in March 1886, feels the irresistible call of Mars and is transported across space once more.
What happens
John Carter, standing on a bluff by the Hudson River in March 1886, feels the irresistible call of Mars and is transported across space once more. He awakens in a strange, beautiful forest on Mars, near an open sea. Exploring, he encounters grotesque plant men—tall, blue, single-eyed creatures with tentacle-like arms—who attack a small group of green Martians. John Carter witnesses the plant men's deadly tactics and realizes he is indeed on Mars, though in an unfamiliar region.
Themes in this chapter
Alien Nature and Survival
John Carter encounters the bizarre plant men, whose anatomy and behavior are utterly alien, highlighting the theme of survival in a hostile, unfamiliar environment.
Illusion vs. Reality
John Carter initially fears he has landed on a strange planet, but the sight of green Martians confirms he is on Mars, blurring the line between expectation and reality.
Characters to notice
- John Carter
Narrator and protagonist; transported from Earth to a strange region of Mars, where he observes plant men and green Martians.
- Tars Tarkas
Mentioned as the leader who once gathered green warriors to rescue Dejah Thoris; not present in the chapter.
- Dejah Thoris
Referenced as John Carter's lost love and the princess rescued by Tars Tarkas; not present in the chapter.
Key passages
“As I stood upon the bluff before my cottage on that clear cold night in the early part of March, 1886, the noble Hudson flowing like the grey and silent spectre of a dead river below me, I felt again the strange, compelling influence of the mighty god of war, my beloved Mars, which for ten long and lonesome years I had implored with outstretched arms to carry me back to my lost love.”
On a cold March night in 1886, John Carter stood on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River and felt Mars's pull, having spent ten years longing to return to his lost love.
Establishes John Carter's yearning and the setting for his return to Mars.
“The scene that met my eyes was so un-Martian that my heart sprang to my throat as the sudden fear swept through me that I had been aimlessly tossed upon some strange planet by a cruel fate.”
The unfamiliar landscape made John Carter fear he had been cast onto an unknown world instead of Mars.
Highlights John Carter's initial disorientation and the theme of illusion vs. reality.
“Its hairless body was a strange and ghoulish blue, except for a broad band of white which encircled its protruding, single eye: an eye that was all”
The plant man had a blue, hairless body and a single protruding eye ringed with white.
Describes the alien appearance of the plant men.