Part 4, Reptilian Regressions, Fables 1 - 3 Summary

The author introduces this section by commenting on how reptiles and amphibians rarely exhibit mischievous, irreverent, playful, or nurturing behavior. "They are," he says, "deadly serious creatures." He then asks whether, in communicating in a non-nurturing, dishonest, too-serious way, a human being is experiencing "a reptilian regression."

In "Caught in Her Own Web," one August evening, as Mrs. Brown singlehandedly set her household straight," a spider named Ms. Mary Muffet completes work on a web. As she contemplates the finished work, she discovers that is perfectly balanced and symmetrical, a feat that, as narration comments, is rare to the point of uniqueness. She examines the web in detail, ensuring there are no flaws. When the web catches victim after victim, rather than have them remain trapped and disfigure the perfection of her work, Ms. Muffet...