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Chapter 9
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cloud Cuckoo Land, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Interconnectedness
Isolation
Human and Animal Relationships
Hope and Redemption
Technological Advancement
Summary
Analysis
Zeno’s Translation. An excerpt from Zeno’s translation of Cloud Cuckoo Land describes Aethon standing on the seashore at the edge of the world, having failed to find a rose. There, a goddess appears to him. Aethon begs the goddess to turn him into a bird, so he can fly to Cloud Cuckoo Land. The goddess informs him that Cloud Cuckoo Land is not a real place. Desperate, Aethon asks her if she will give him a rose and turn him back into a human. The goddess tells Aethon to eat seaweed instead, which can be found nearby, as it is known as “the rose of the northern sea.” Aethon does as she suggests and eats the seaweed. However, rather than returning to his human form, Aethon morphs into a fish.
Aethon’s desire to find a place that may not exist mirrors the struggles of those aboard the Argos. Even before the pandemic, the adults on the Argos knew that they would never reach Beta Oph2. Now, from Konstance’s perspective, it seems likely that no one will reach Beta Oph2. The Argos is on a quest that was doomed from the start and, here, it seems that Aethon might be as well. Every time he tries to make progress, he puts himself in a worse situation. In the process, he once again transforms into something other than a human being.
Active
Themes
Seymour. The time returns to 2020 and Seymour is still trying to figure out what to do with the mess he has created in the library. The police phone the library in an attempt to get in touch with Seymour. However, rather than answer the call, Seymour rips the phone out of the wall. Afterward, Seymour tries to call Bishop, who told him to get in touch if he ran into any trouble. The number he calls is active, but no one picks up. Seymour hopes that this means Bishop knows he is in trouble. Sharif, who is still on the ground, asks Seymour for water. Seymour fills up a cup for Sharif and gives it to him.
Again, Seymour finds himself out of his depth. He has been thinking of Bishop as his savior, but Bishop’s refusal to answer the phone suggests that he is not the ally Seymour wants him to be. Because he is desperate to hold on to any sense of hope, Seymour tries to spin Bishop’s lack of communication as positive. Additionally, Seymour's decision to give Sharif water demonstrates that Seymour does not want others to suffer, even if he is responsible for causing Sharif’s suffering.
Active
Themes
Zeno. Upstairs, Zeno is attempting to piece together what has happened, so he can figure out how to proceed. Still, the children continue to act. At the moment, they are depicting the scene where Aethon transforms into a donkey. Following the scene is the intermission, which Zeno insists that they take quietly. He pretends that he wants them to stay quiet to simulate what it is like during the real performance. The children still do not suspect anything is wrong and do as Zeno says.
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Themes
Zeno has them huddle up together behind the stage, where they can all speak in whispers. One of the children, Alex, asks Zeno if he can go get the root beers Zeno brought for everyone. Zeno says that he can, but he must do it quietly. Alex does as Zeno asks, but trips on his way back and sends the root beers crashing to the floor.
Active
Themes
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Seymour. Downstairs, Seymour is trying not to panic as he waits for Bishop to do something. He starts to question whether Bishop got his message. He thinks about Bishop’s philosophy, which appears in flashes in his stream of consciousness. These flashes suggest that Bishop is the head of an eco-terrorist group that believes extreme violence is necessary to protect the environment. As Seymour is contemplating his life decisions and determining what to do next, he hears a loud noise coming from upstairs.
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