The Night Land · Chapter
Down the Mighty Slope explained
The Narrator descends the Mighty Slope in utter darkness, using the Diskos sparingly for light.
What happens
The Narrator descends the Mighty Slope in utter darkness, using the Diskos sparingly for light. He struggles with the oppressive night, sleeps uneasily, and senses a presence following him. After days of crawling and casting a stone to avoid cliffs, he reaches a great gorge lit by dancing gas flames and strange whistling sounds. He rests in a cave, eats, and dreams of the Master-Word before waking heavy-headed.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Community
The Narrator's solitary descent through utter darkness and his longing for Naani highlight the tension between isolation and the need for connection.
The Sublime and Terrible Nature
The vast, dark slope, the monstrous gas fountain, and the strange echoes in the gorge evoke both awe and terror.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Descends the Mighty Slope alone, using the Diskos for light and a stone to navigate; experiences unease and senses a presence.
- Naani
Thought of fondly as the Narrator falls asleep; his thoughts of her give him hope.
- The Diskos
Used sparingly to light the path; carried constantly and slept with for protection.
Key passages
“Now I went downward very quiet and slow into that Darkness; and did make but a cautious way; for now you shall know me truly wrapped about with such a night as did seem to press upon my very soul, and such as you shall never have seen nor felt; so that I did seem lost even from my self, and did appear as that I went presently in unreal fashion, and did pass onward for ever and for ever through everlasting night; so that odd whiles I did make to walk with random, as that I stept no more upon this earth; but did go offwards into the Void.”
I crept slowly and carefully into a darkness so profound it felt like it was crushing my spirit, making me feel lost and as if I were walking through an endless night, sometimes even feeling like I had left the earth and was drifting into the void.
Describes the psychological impact of the absolute darkness on the Narrator.
“And I did think me presently upon a thing that I should do to light my path; and to this end, I did make the Diskos to spin, odd whiles, and did look down the mighty slope, the little way that the strange glistening of the Diskos did show, and so fixed my path into mine inward remembering, and would go forward afresh, until that I was shaken once more by the darkness, and would fain to look once again upon the blessedness of light, and make me some knowledge of my way.”
I decided to use the Diskos to light my way, spinning it occasionally to see a short distance down the slope, memorizing the path, and then moving forward until the darkness disoriented me again, forcing me to use the light once more.
Explains the Narrator's method of navigating using the Diskos sparingly.