The Phoenix and the Carpet · Chapter
IV: Two Bazaars explained
The children attempt to use the wishing carpet to obtain Indian goods for their mother's bazaar, but their plan goes awry when Mrs.
What happens
The children attempt to use the wishing carpet to obtain Indian goods for their mother's bazaar, but their plan goes awry when Mrs. Biddle buys the carpet at a bazaar. They struggle to recover it, leading to a tense confrontation.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrecy
Anthea struggles with keeping the carpet a secret from mother, and mother dismisses the truth as a game.
Magic and Adventure
The children use the wishing carpet to travel to India and encounter a ranee, blending magic with real-world adventure.
Social Class and Inequality
Mrs. Biddle's authority and wealth allow her to buy the carpet, highlighting class dynamics and the children's powerlessness.
Characters to notice
- Anthea
Feels guilty about keeping the carpet secret and tries to tell mother the truth, but is dismissed. Leads the attempt to recover the carpet from Mrs. Biddle.
- Cyril
Tells the story of the Phoenix and the Carpet to the ranee, enjoying the attention. Advocates for a daring rescue of the carpet.
- Robert
Carries the rolled carpet in India. His hand is injured by Mrs. Biddle's boot at the bazaar.
- Jane
Expresses dislike for the house without mother. Confronts Mrs. Biddle directly, calling her 'horrid'.
- Mother
Busy with letters and preparing for a trip to Bournemouth. Dismisses Anthea's story as a game.
- The Phoenix
Requests a week's rest and hides, so is absent during the bazaar events.
- The Lamb
Accompanies mother to Bournemouth due to his cough.
- Mrs. Biddle
Buys the wishing carpet at the bazaar for ten shillings. Angry and confrontational when the children try to reclaim it.
Key passages
“I don’t care about being invisible myself," said Cyril, "at least, not with my own family. It would be different if you were a prince, or a bandit, or a burglar.”
Cyril says he wouldn't mind being invisible around strangers, but not with his family.
Cyril reflects on the ethics of invisibility, distinguishing between family and adventure contexts.
“I wish she hadn’t gone away," said Jane; "the house is simply beastly without her.”
Jane expresses sadness and discomfort at mother's absence.
Jane's emotional response underscores the children's reliance on mother.
“We want Indian things for mother’s bazaar. Will you please take us where people will give us heaps of Indian things?”
The children command the carpet to take them to a place where they can get Indian goods for the bazaar.
This wish sets the main plot of the chapter in motion.
“It’s no use; she’s like a lioness robbed of its puppies. We must watch where it goes—and—Anthea, I don’t care what you say. It’s our own carpet. It wouldn’t be burglary. It would be a sort of forlorn hope rescue party—heroic and daring and dashing, and not wrong at all.”
Cyril argues that reclaiming the carpet from Mrs. Biddle is a heroic rescue, not a theft.
Cyril rationalizes a potential burglary as morally justified.
“I wish Mrs. Biddle was in an angelic good temper,”
Anthea wishes for Mrs. Biddle to become kind and pleasant.
Anthea's wish reflects her desire to resolve the conflict peacefully.
