Flatland by Edwin Abbot: a Philosophical View of Society
Summary:
In the book Flatland, the two-dimensional place that Abbot portrayed is populated by people who are geometrical figures in a sort of caste system based on geometric shape. Abbot's geometric habitat is not that different from that in our own society.
Edwin Abbot wrote about a strange, unknown place called Flatland. There are only two dimensions in Flatland. All of the people in the story are geometrical figures. Each section of the story tells about all of the figures. These characters are set up in a caste system. The society goes as follows from the lowest class to the highest: women - straight lines; soldiers and the lowest class of workmen - isosceles triangles; middle class - equilateral triangle; professional men and gentlemen - squares and pentagons; nobility - hexagons and could rise all the way to polygonal; and the last and highest class include the priestly order which are circles.
If you look around at our surroundings and views, you would see our world is geometric. I believe Abbot would have agreed with my choice. Abbot gave examples of this geometrical habitat by describing people and their classes as shapes. He talked about the South land and the North land. The South has a constant attraction, almost aiding as a compass to guide the figures. In Flatland there are no windows because there is no sun. They do have light, but they do not know its origin. Flatland's homes are often pentagonal. They have two doors, one on the East side for the women and one on the west side for men only. The two northern sides of the pentagon form the roof and the south side is the floor. Square and triangular homes are prohibited. The angles of a square and a triangle are much more pointed than a pentagon. Idle objects, in the Flatland, are lighter. If some preoccupied figure encountered non-pentagonal houses, they could be seriously damaged or left for dead.
I agree with Abbot's view that the world in itself is geometrical. When you look at our world and the people that encompass it, we are geometrical. There is nothing "man - made" about it. The Earth is a circle, Colorado is a square, and noses are triangles, are a few examples of why the world is not artificial. In Flatland, everyone and everything has some sort of abstract basis. People and even societies are based on geometry. For instance, the nobility are circles, which represent strength and stability.
Based on Abbot's writing I gathered a mixed opinion. I thought he was very negative towards women. Labeling women as "straight lines" and the "meanest capacity in Spaceland."
Because women in Flatland are straight lines, which are very hard to see, figures run into them and are often punctured and die. Preventing this catastrophe, women have to use their "peace-cry" voice. Also, they have to sway their backs from left to right to indicate their presence to those behind them. Sometimes whenever the temper of a woman is aggravated, she is liable to destroy her household. Though her memory is very short, she forgets that anything happened. Consequently, she does not feel humility or anguish, which is a necessity to live in Flatland. Other than the rude labeling of women, I do agree with most of Abbot's view of society.
Flatland is reminiscent of the Indian caste system. India uses these classes to decipher between each person. They have been in use for centuries and are still held strongly today. There are five different levels that range from the highest to the lowest: Brahman - priest; Kshatriya - ruler, warrior, landowner; Vaishya - merchants; Shudra - artisans, agriculturalists; and the poorest class is the Harijans, who are responsible for cleaning and scavenging. In addition, women are downcast in the Indian society.
I truly enjoyed reading Flatland. It was a very interesting take on geometry and the its concepts. It was cleverly written with undertones of wit. Though, I thought the book was disguised as a book about societies.
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