# XXII explained — The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

> Chapter companion for The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe.

## What happens

Pym and Peters witness the destruction of the Jane Guy by the Tsalal natives, who swarm the harbor with rafts and canoes. The crew's cannon fire fails, and the natives overwhelm the vessel. After an explosion destroys the ship and kills many natives, the survivors react with horror and chant 'Tekeli-li'. Pym and Peters secure a dead animal for food and hide in a ravine, observing the aftermath.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Moral Decay

Pym and Peters prioritize concealment and securing food over warning the crew, highlighting the instinct for self-preservation.

### Race and Otherness

The Tsalal natives are portrayed as a hostile, superstitious horde, reinforcing colonial tropes of the 'other'.

### The Unknown and Cosmic Horror

The mysterious carcass and the natives' terrified reaction to it, along with the chant 'Tekeli-li', evoke an inexplicable, primal dread.

## Character check-ins

### Arthur Gordon Pym

Narrator and observer of the attack on the Jane Guy; hides with Peters in the ravine.

### Dirk Peters

Companion to Pym; helps secure food and conceal their hiding place.

### Too-wit

Leader of the Tsalal natives, orchestrating the attack on the Jane Guy.

### Captain Guy

Captain of the Jane Guy; his orders to preserve the strange animal's carcass are noted.

### Jane Guy

The schooner attacked and destroyed by the Tsalal natives.

## Key lines

> Our situation, as it now appeared, was scarcely less dreadful than when we had conceived ourselves entombed forever.

Pym reflects that their current predicament is almost as terrifying as being buried alive.

_Opens the chapter with a sense of hopelessness and claustrophobic dread._

> The whole surface of the bay was literally strewn with the struggling and drowning wretches, and on shore matters were even worse.

The bay is covered with dying and drowning natives, and the situation on land is even more horrific.

_Describes the aftermath of the explosion, emphasizing the scale of death and chaos._

> They seemed utterly appalled by the suddenness and completeness of their discomfiture, and made no efforts at assisting one another.

The natives are stunned by their sudden defeat and do nothing to help each other.

_Highlights the psychological shock following the explosion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters