Flatland, Section 16 summary
Section 16 of 22 · Part 2: Other Worlds “O brave new worlds, that have such people in them!” · 11 min to read the section
In Section 16, the Square questions a visitor who identifies himself as a Sphere and tries to explain three-dimensional space through observation, demonstration, and mathematical analogy. The Square sees the visitor shrink and disappear but cannot understand the cause, and his growing anger ends in an attack.
What happens
- After his Wife leaves, the Square feels the visitor and accepts him as a perfectly circular figure.
- The Stranger claims to see into closed rooms from a third dimension, but the Square rejects his household observations as insufficient proof.
- Arguments about visibility and height fail because the Square cannot identify any direction beyond his plane.
- The visitor identifies himself as a Sphere, then shrinks, disappears, and returns while the Square remains unconvinced.
- The Sphere uses numerical patterns to explain a cube with eight corners and six faces.
- Unable to imagine movement outside Flatland, the Square calls the visitor a monster and hurls himself at him.
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What does the Square do after the Sphere explains the cube’s six sides?
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