Nights at the Circus Chapter Summary & Analysis - Book 2, Chapter 8 Summary

Book 2, Chapter 8 Summary

The other flying trapeze artists, the Charivaris, are jealous of Fevvers. They believe that she is cheating the art of the trapeze with the use of her wings. The usual trapeze artist is small in stature and size, and Fevvers' immense size contradicts even this tradition. Their children, the day before, took pies from Fevvers, and they all ended up at home writhing with stomach pains. For the Charivaris, this is the final insult, and they decide to take action against Fevvers. Fevvers is scheduled to rehearse, and the Charivaris rig her trapeze rope to snap. Not suspecting the treachery, Fevvers begins her performance with everyone watching, including the Charivaris and Walser who is "drawn to the ring like a moth to a flame." When the rope snaps, Kearney stands helpless and terrified of losing his star performer.

Fevvers manages to swing herself, slowly of course, since she always seems...
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