The Sirens of Titan: Chapter 1: Between Timid and Timbuktu Summary & Analysis

The narrator explains that in the present, people know how to find the “meaning of life” within themselves, but that in the past, people didn’t understand this and turned to “gimcrack religions.” The human race searched for meaning by sending people to explore space. In the end, only the human soul was left unexplored. The story that follows takes place in “the Nightmare Ages,” which happened between World War II and “the Third Great Depression.”  

A crowd gathers in anticipation of a “materialization” of a man and his dog. The crowd has not been invited to the event, and thus they won’t get a chance to witness it happening. However, they want to be near it anyway. The materialization is taking place at the Rumfoord Estate in Newport, Rhode Island. Someone spreads a rumor that the materialization has already taken place, and the crowd rush to catch a glimpse of the man and his dog. They are obsessed with “miracles.”

The materializations have been happening once every 59 days for nine years. Highly-educated men from all over the world constantly request to witness one, but they are always politely turned away by Mrs. Rumfoord’s social secretary, who calls them a “tragic family affair.” Every time a materialization happens, Mrs. Rumfoord issues a brief, 100-word report about it, but refuses to answer any questions. The estate is guarded by a very high wall and a locked door. The person who materializes is Mrs. Rumfoord’s husband, Winston Niles Rumfoord, and his dog, Kazak. Mrs. Rumfoord’s reports indicate that her husband has special insights about the past and future.

A man is driven up to the estate in a limousine. He is wearing sunglasses and a fake beard as a disguise. A policeman admits him through the gates. This man is the first person to ever be invited to a materialization. His name is Malachi Constant, the richest man in the U.S. He never graduated college, lives in Hollywood, and is a “notorious rakehell.” Outside the estate there are signs saying, “Beware of the dog!” but inside there is only a skeleton of a large dog wearing a spiked collar. The decision to hang the skeleton there had been Mrs. Rumfoord’s. 

Mrs. Rumfoord has a fortune of $17 million and the highest social status in the country. She is beautiful, and a talented poet. She has anonymously published a collection of poetry entitled Between Timid and Timbuktu. Although she has a lot, she doesn’t have “everything.” Inside the estate, Malachi Constant takes off his disguise. Unlike Rumfoord, Constant exists as a “point,” meaning he is only ever in one place and time. Years ago, Rumfoord drove his spaceship into the heart of “an uncharted chrono-synclastic infundibulum” near Mars. He and his dog Kazak—who was also travelling in the spaceship—ended up in spiral that spans between the Sun and the star Betelgeuse. Every 59 days, Earth intercepts this spiral and Rumfoord and Kazak appear.

It is difficult to explain chrono-synclastic infundibula in simple terms. The narrator provides an extract from A Child’s Cyclopedia of Wonders and Things to Do written by Dr. Cyril Hall that explains them through a story about two children on opposite ends of the universe, both of whom have extremely smart daddies who are always right. The extract notes that truth can be subjective, except for inside chrono-synclastic infundibula, where “all the different kinds of truths fit together.” There are many chrono-synclastic infundibula in the Solar System, including one between Earth and Mars, which people know exists because Rumfoord and Kazak ran through it.

Constant uses a key that accompanied his invitation to open a door, then attempts to navigate labyrinthine forest using the instructions in the invitation. In it, Mrs. Rumfoord explained that Mr. Rumfoord insisted on Constant’s presence at his next materialization even though she believes it is a bad idea. However, Mr. Rumfoord has claimed that he and Constant know each other well, having met on Titan, the moon that orbits Saturn. But Constant has never been to Titan or left Earth at all—or so he thinks.  

Eventually Constant reaches an elaborate fountain, which features numerous stone bowls of different sizes. He climbs it, moving between the bowls. He eventually stops at the top, which is the smallest bowl, and looks out over the estate. Constant is 31 and handsome, with a fortune of $3 billion. He has a reputation for overindulging in alcohol, drugs, and women. He has designed a coat of arms for himself with the slogan, The Messenger Awaits. He looks at his watch and realizes that he only has two minutes before the materialization is due to take place.

Constant climbs back down, thinking that the fountain reminds him of one of the hallucinations he experiences while on drugs. He falls into a reverie, and is woken by the sound of Kazak barking. He runs to the house and is greeted by a butler, who is crying with happiness. Rumfoord, who materialized only a minute ago, walks into the foyer. For the first time, Constant considers “that here might actually be a person superior to himself.” Rumfoord shakes Constant’s hand, greeting him with warm politeness. They discuss Constant’s extraordinary luck, and Constant comments, “I guess somebody up there likes me.”

Constant is self-conscious, horrified by the feeling that he is inferior to Rumfoord. He racks his mind for evidence of his own value, but feels stumped. Rumfoord informs Constant that he can read his mind. He says that if Constant wants to feel superior, he should remember that he can “reproduce,” whereas Rumfoord can’t. Rumfoord shows Constant a portrait of a little girl dressed in white and riding a white pony, explaining that it is Mrs. Rumfoord as a child. Rumfoord then takes Constant into a narrow, high room, shaped almost like a chimney. Rumfoord explains that he always wanted this room as a child, and Constant notices a sign that reads, “SKIP’S MUSEUM.”

The room is filled with “moral remains,” both endo- and exoskeletons. Many appear to have been taken from the local beach, but there is also the skeleton of an adult human. Rumfoord explains that Mrs. Rumfoord is avoiding him because she is tired of his fortunetelling. Rumfoord explains that when he originally flew into the chrono-synclastic infundibulum, he suddenly became aware that “everything that has ever been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been.” He says that this makes knowing the future rather unexciting. Rumfoord then admits that one of the pieces of information about the future that he told his wife was that she and Constant would be forced to breed  together “like farm animals” on Mars.  

Rumfoord is a member of the American elite, which according to the narrator is filled with dignified, responsible people. However, the narrator also notes that members of Rumfoord’s own class have a history of “breeding people as though people were no better than farm animals.” Rumfoord’s class maintains its power by operating like a family; for example, Mr. and Mrs. Rumfoord are third cousins (who hate each other). Like other members of his class, Rumfoord is courageous. He bought his space ship for $58 million, and flew it into space even after the government banned space exploration due to chrono-synclastic infundibula. He chose to fly into one even though nobody knew what would happen.

Whereas Rumfoord does everything “with” style, Constant does things “in” style, which makes him (and the whole of humanity) look bad. Constant is in shock regarding Rumfoord’s claim about his future on Mars. Rumfoord explains that Constant will eventually end up on Titan, but he will also travel to Mars, Mercury, and back to Earth. The narrator compares the attitude toward space exploration in this era to the way people felt about colonial exploration before Columbus’s maiden voyage. The romantic notions of gaining wealth, power, and glory by sending people into space have long since died out. 

Galactic Spacecraft, a company Constant owns, has built its last spaceship, called The Whale, which has never left Earth. The discovery of chrono-synclastic infundibula halted humanity’s exploration of space entirely. The people who responded quickest to the crisis were fundamentalist preachers. One preacher declared that God was punishing humanity’s hubris. He claimed that people wanted a spaceship, yet they were already on one—Earth is God’s spaceship, and people should be satisfied with that. He concluded that the rules of Christianity are more important than the rules of science.

Constant comments to Rumfoord that “the messenger is finally going to be used,” explaining that his name (Malachi) means “messenger.” Rumfoord is confused, and Constant asks why he is going to Titan. He then insists that he won’t go. Rumfoord says this is a shame, because Titan has a wonderful climate, and the most beautiful women to be found “between the Sun and Betelgeuse.” Constant scoffs and boasts that he’s had more than his fair share of beautiful women, showing Rumfoord a picture of Miss Canal Zone, a beauty contest winner he recently slept with. Rumfoord also says that Titan has spectacular art objects, but Constant again replies by bragging about his art collection here on Earth.

Constant’s art collection, which he inherited from his father, was designed “to prove how generous and useful billionaires could be.” Constant tries to show Rumfoord another picture of Miss Canal Zone, but instead finds that the picture he is holding is actually one Rumfoord has handed to him. There are three woman in the photograph, all of whom are somehow millions of times more beautiful than Miss Canal Zone. Rumfoord says that Mrs. Rumfoord (whose first name is Beatrice) will also be on Titan, as well will Beatrice and Constant’s son, Chrono. Rumfoord then explains that Chrono will pick up a strip of metal on Mars which will turn out to be “unbelievably important.”

Rumfoord begins to disappear. He tells Constant, “See you on Titan,” then evaporates completely. Mrs. Rumfoord appears, asking if her husband is gone and if Mr. Constant is still there. Constant confirms that he is, and he and Mrs. Rumfoord greet each other politely. Constant says that he enjoyed meeting Mr. Rumfoord, but Mrs. Rumfoord replies that his materializations make her “ill.” She has never witnessed one after the very first. She calls her husband “insane,” but Constant suggests that Rumfoord’s predictions are well-founded. They bid each other goodbye, and Constant leaves. He thinks that there is no need to seduce Beatrice, and that he will let her come to him “like any other bimbo.”

Constant puts his disguise back on and gets into the limousine, then drives through the disappointed crowd. The people—angry at having not glimpsed the materialization—rock the car, and some even climb on top of it. The narrator observes that this riot is “an exercise in science and theology,” because it is rooted in a desire to understand materialization. The limousine escapes and drives away.