Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

This novel of speculative fiction, written in the early-1950s, tells a story common to the genre of that era - traditional western ways and philosophies of life are decimated, and threatened with complete destruction, by a combination of mysterious events and the increasing control of a disguised, subversive, murderous entity; in this case, mobile and intelligent plants. As it chronicles the struggles of a small, desperate group of human survivors, the narrative explores themes relating to the conflict between morality and necessity, the nature of human frailty, and the social nature of being human.

"The End Begins"

The narrator wakes up on a Wednesday morning he describes as feeling more like Sunday: quiet, no traffic on the streets outside the hospital where he's staying, no hum of activity in the halls. In narration he describes his increasing unease at the...