Flatland Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 14, How I Vainly Tried to Explain the Nature of Flatland Summary

Chapter 14, How I Vainly Tried to Explain the Nature of Flatland Summary

A. Square, in an attempt to enlighten the King regarding his incorrect belief of Lineland as true space, asks how the inhabitants of the land distinguish between points and lines, and the position of one another. Square discusses his observation of varying lengths of lines and point sizes, but is interrupted by the King, who notes his incompetence. The King explains the inhabitants tell size and distance by sound. He uses the example of his wives as proof. He states that his wives are very far away, but can tell his length and position by his voices. Each can hear the North and South, and the time interval between the voices indicates the length of his line. Square asks the result of an inhabitant faking a voice, and wonders if the inhabitants ever feel one another. The King objects, noting that to feel one another would mean instant death, since...
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