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Chapter 19
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. In a fragmented excerpt from Zeno’s Cloud Cuckoo Land translation, Aethon travels to the garden in the middle of Cloud Cuckoo Land and talks to the goddess who lives there, asking if he can read her book. The goddess immediately knows he is not really a crow and allows him to read the book, which will make him lose his mortal desires.
Here, the goddess suggests that it is Aethon’s drive to always want more, which makes him human rather than his physical form. If what the goddess says is true, then reading the book would result in Aethon sacrificing his humanity to live happily in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
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Omeir. Returning to May of 1453, Omeir discovers that the person trying to steal his food was a Greek girl (Anna). Anna begins to regain consciousness, letting out some loud moans in the process, as Omeir hit her in the head when he saw someone trying to steal his food. Omeir attempts to quiet her down, as he does not want anyone to find out he has deserted the Ottoman army. Omeir notices that Anna is particularly protective of the sack she has brought with her and, after an initial failed attempt to see what is inside, leaves it alone.
Finally, Anna and Omeir, who have spent much of the novel in close proximity, meet for the first time. Although the reader is intimately familiar with both of them, they are alien to each other, as even their languages differ. Realizing that Anna is not his enemy, Omeir tries to calm her down. For her part, Anna fiercely protects the Cloud Cuckoo Land manuscript, which is what she is hiding inside her sack.
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Knowing Anna is likely hungry, Omeir gives her part of the bird he was roasting over the fire. As Anna eats, Omeir has an idea. He plans to tie Anna’s hands and pretend she is his “reward” that he claimed after sacking Constantinople. He tries to communicate his good intentions to Anna, who cannot understand him because they do not speak the same language. Then, he ties her hands together and begins leading her in the direction of his home via a rope.
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The following night, Omeir looks through Anna’s sack to see what she is trying to protect. There, he finds her Cloud Cuckoo Land manuscript. Omeir has no idea what to make of the book and wonders if it might be witchcraft. The following morning when Omeir wakes up, Anna has managed to untie herself. However, she has chosen not to go anywhere. The two of them travel together, and this time Omeir does not bother tying Anna’s hands. Together, they make their way back to Omeir’s family farm.
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One day, Omeir and Anna see two men ride by. The men have also come from Constantinople and have a group of 20 Greek women with them, along with a wagon of valuable items. Although Omeir and Anna’s journey goes smoothly, they lack food. Omeir tries to hunt but cannot find many animals in the forest. At nights, while Omeir and Anna sit by the campfire, Anna reads her book to herself. One night, while she is reading, Omeir manages to catch a bird in one of his traps. He wonders whether Anna used witchcraft to help him snare the bird.
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Eventually, Anna and Omeir reach the outskirts of Omeir’s farm. Omeir takes Anna to a special tree and shows her a hollow spot inside it where she can hide her copy of Cloud Cuckoo Land. Anna is reluctant to give up the book, but Omeir assures her it is safe. Although Anna is not sure what Omeir is saying, she ultimately does as he says.
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