The Swiss Family Robinson · Chapter
The Malabar Eagle and the Sago Manufactory explained
The family recounts their adventures: the children felled a massive palm tree, monkeys raided the hut and drank the palm-wine, and Fritz captured a young Malabar eagle.
What happens
The family recounts their adventures: the children felled a massive palm tree, monkeys raided the hut and drank the palm-wine, and Fritz captured a young Malabar eagle. The father establishes rules for animal care, and Ernest suggests using tobacco smoke to tame the eagle. The family discovers the sow has given birth to piglets, and they debate the fate of the new family. Upon returning to Falcon's Stream, the eagle kills the parrot, leading to a lesson on taming and responsibility.
Themes in this chapter
Resourcefulness and Industry
The children fell a palm tree, the family devises methods to tame the eagle, and they plan to domesticate piglets for breeding.
Education and Moral Instruction
The father uses a moral fable to teach Fritz about generosity and fairness, and instructs the boys on the proper care of animals.
Family and Paternal Authority
The father establishes rules for animal care and mediates conflicts between the brothers, reinforcing his role as the family's moral guide.
Characters to notice
- Father
Establishes rules for animal care, mediates disputes between the boys, and advises on taming the eagle.
- Fritz
Captures the young Malabar eagle, argues with Ernest over its care, and later vents anger when the eagle kills the parrot.
- Ernest
Climbs the palm tree, suggests using tobacco smoke to tame the eagle, and offers to train the bird.
- Jack
Discovers the sow and her piglets in the thicket.
- Mother
Laments the number of animals, proposes domesticating piglets for breeding, and censures the boys for thinking of roasting the piglets.
- Francis
Asks about using smoke to stupefy bees to get honey.
Key passages
“I established as an invariable law, that he who wished to have a useful animal in his service, should also have the care of keeping it.”
The father decrees that anyone who wants to keep an animal must also be responsible for its care.
This rule teaches accountability and kindness toward animals.
“A dog placed himself on a truss of straw, which he considered as his property. An ass and an ox extremely hungry entreated permission to eat some of it, as it could not serve him for food; but the surly selfish cur would not even suffer them to approach it.”
The father tells a fable about a selfish dog that refuses to share straw with a hungry ass and ox.
The fable is used to criticize Fritz's selfishness in refusing to share the eagle with Ernest.