Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

by

Michael Crichton

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Jurassic Park makes teaching easy.

Jurassic Park: Fourth Iteration: The Park (II) Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Huddled in the tree with Lex and Tim, Grant suddenly finds himself face to face with a hadrosaur grazing on the foliage. This encounter, perhaps more than any other on the island, moves him, since he studies the fossils of these dinosaurs in Montana. The dinosaur doesn’t react to his presence, so he concludes she can’t smell him. She does respond when he coughs loudly, but unless he’s moving, she doesn’t seem to see him. And after just a minute or two, she seems to forget about his presence. After the dinosaur ambles off, Grant, Lex, and Tim climb down from the tree. Although Lex doesn’t want to walk among the dinosaurs anymore, Grant doesn’t know how else they can get back to the resort. Tim helpfully points out that the maintenance building has a raft. 
In the aftermath of the latest tyrannosaurs attack, Grant gets the opportunity to remember his love for dinosaurs and to reflect on how powerful InGen’s technology could have been—or could be—if it had developed it with more care and forethought. As much as he knows about these dinosaurs from his study—and as many of his hypotheses as the island has confirmed—the information he can get from ancient vestiges of life pales in comparison to the observation of living animals.
Themes
Sight and Insight  Theme Icon
Technology Theme Icon
In the control room, Arnold begins an exhaustive visual search of the island for the Jeep that Nedry stole. Muldoon insists on recovering the weapons. He watches as the monitor clicks through the park’s visual feeds in order, until Hammond summons him to the genetics lab.
Despite the power of the park’s automated surveillance system, as Arnold has already noted several times, the motion sensors can only find moving objects. Only human eyes can spot inanimate Jeeps or dead creatures, like the unfortunate Nedry. 
Themes
Sight and Insight  Theme Icon
In the park, it takes some time for Grant to locate the raft, which lies in a separate shed attached to a dock in the lagoon. But in the process, he also acquires a topographical map of the island and a tranquilizer gun. As they approach the dock, he, Lex, and Tim hear snoring. The tyrannosaur, full after its hadrosaur feast, sits in the shade of a tree, fast asleep. Signaling the children to stay still and silent, Grant tiptoes past the dinosaur. He deploys one of the rafts, and although the dinosaur startles, it doesn’t wake up. They climb aboard and begin to drift silently into the lagoon. But then Lex coughs, waking up the beast.
Yet again, Grant’s careful observation of the world around him yields helpful information—in this case, a map to guide their trek across the island, and a tranquilizer gun to provide safety—or at least, to provide alleged safety. As Muldoon has already explained, the amount of sedative in this gun will have little to no effect on the adult tyrannosaur. Fortunately, the animal can’t see the humans as they tiptoe past it in its sleep. Unfortunately, chaos intervenes yet again in the form of Lex’s uncontrollable cough.
Themes
Chaos, Change, and Control  Theme Icon
Sight and Insight  Theme Icon
Grant rows the boat into the center of the lagoon, but the tyrannosaur follows them. Once it walks past the shallows, it uses its powerful tail to swim through the water like the world’s largest and most deadly crocodile. It lunges at the raft, narrowly missing it. In desperation, Grant shoots a tranquilizer dart; although it strikes the dinosaur on the cheek, it has no real effect. But just then, the juvenile tyrannosaur comes upon the carcass of the hadrosaur and lets out a roar, attempting to claim the kill for itself. The adult, intent on protecting its rightful prey, splashes back to shore. As it retreats, Lex taunts it. Angry and exhausted, Grant throws down the paddles in consternation, but, caught in the river’s current, the trio continues to drift back towards the resort.
Just as nature can present humans with unexpected challenges—like dinosaurs that are faster, stealthier, and much more intelligent than the popular imagination granted—it can also offer unexpected boons. It’s a stroke of good fortune when the juvenile tyrannosaur distracts the adult from its human prey.
Themes
Chaos, Change, and Control  Theme Icon
Get the entire Jurassic Park LitChart as a printable PDF.
Jurassic Park PDF