Flatland, Section 7 summary
Section 7 of 22 · Part 1: This World · 5 min to read the section
In Section 7, the narrator explains why Flatland treats equal sides as essential to recognition, safety, and social order, then defends laws that punish irregular bodies. He rejects arguments that persecution causes bad character and recommends death when medical authorities judge an irregular child unlikely to recover.
What happens
- The narrator defines bodily regularity through equal sides and explains how it supports recognition by sight and touch.
- Imagined encounters with unequal figures illustrate his fears about blocked doorways, collisions, and dangerous crowds.
- Critics describe how family rejection, surveillance, confinement, and exclusion damage the character of Irregulars.
- The narrator rejects their argument and defends restrictive laws as necessary for collective safety.
- He opposes automatic execution for small deviations at birth but recommends death when medical treatment offers little hope.
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What to notice
The narrator acknowledges suffering but makes collective interests his justification for it. This principle supports his defense of discriminatory laws.
Quick check
Why does the narrator oppose automatic death for infants with small angular deviations?
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