summary of the pageant of fireflies
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SPRING merged slowly into the long, hot, sun-sharp days of summer sung in by cicadas, shrill and excited, making the island vibrate with their cries. The olives seemed weighed down under the weight of their fruit, smooth drops of green jade among which the choirs of cicadas zithered. .... In the orange-groves, among the dark and shiny leaves, the fruit was starting to glow redly, like a blush spreading up the green, pitted skins.
Up on the hills, among the dark cypress and the heather, shoals of butterflies danced and twisted like wind-blown confetti, pausing now and then on a leaf to lay a salvo of eggs. The grasshoppers and locusts whirred like clockwork under my feet, and flew drunkenly across the heather, their wings shining in the sun. Among the myrtles the mantids moved, lightly, carefully, swaying slightly, the quintessence of evil. They were lank and green, with chinless faces and monstrous globular eyes, frosty gold, with an expression of intense, predatory madness in them. The crooked arms, with their fringes of sharp teeth, would be raised in mock supplication to the insect world, so humble, so fervent, trembling slightly when a butterfly flew too close
Summer soon arrives. The olive trees grow heavy with fruit, butterflies lay eggs, and tree frogs sing as evening falls. A man named Peter arrives to tutor Gerry. He's difficult at first but after a few weeks, the island calms him and he becomes more forgiving. He agrees to teach Gerry English by letting him write a book, so Gerry spends an hour every morning working on a narrative about the family traveling around the world to capture animals. Peter and Margo both become suddenly interested in botany, so they take walks in the garden while Gerry writes.
Note here that the assertion that Peter and Margo become interested in botany is entirely Gerry's belief—one that betrays the fact that he's a child who believes that there's nothing more interesting than the natural world and therefore ignores the truth that Peter and Margo are romantically involved. This also shows that Gerry's first inclination is to believe that others think about the natural world the way he does.
THEMES
The Natural World Theme Icon Childhood, Adulthood, and Education Theme Icon
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After the scorpion debacle, the family gives Gerry a room to house his animals. Gerry calls it his study and he keeps his collections of eggs, insects, and other preserved specimens, such as a four-legged chicken, in it. When Gerry finds a bat, he takes it upon himself to stuff it and hang it on the wall. He's very proud of it, but the bat soon seems to feel the heat of summer. It sags and begins to smell. Gerry is very annoyed when the family finally figures out the smell is coming from the bat and makes him get rid of it.
The bat becomes a symbol for Gerry's incomplete education and bursting enthusiasm regardless. Just as with Gerry's misinterpretation of Margo and Peter's motives, his annoyance at his family shows that he finds it ridiculous that they're not willing to put up with the natural world and the natural process of decomposition.
THEMES
The Natural World Theme Icon Childhood, Adulthood, and Education Theme Icon
Peter offers to show Gerry how to properly preserve animals if he can find another specimen, so Gerry begins trying to hunt bats with a bamboo stick at night. He's unsuccessful in his quest but sees a number of other interesting night creatures while he hunts. Gerry vows to capture squirrel dormice and so spends his days thrusting his hands into hollow trunks to search for sleeping ones. One day, he pulls out a bewildered Scops owlet and carries him home. The family has no objections to keeping the owl, and they decide to name him Ulysses. Even though he's tiny, Ulysses is fearless and will attack anything.
Though owls are dangerous in very different ways than scorpions are, they're still fairly dangerous animals. The family's willingness to keep Ulysses then shows that deciding whether an animal is dangerous or not is often a matter of perception—the family has possibly not been around owls or has simply heard or experienced more when it comes to the danger of scorpions.
THEMES
Childhood, Adulthood, and Education Theme Icon Friendship and the Care of Animals Theme Icon
Gerry sets Ulysses up in the drawing room and decides that he and Roger should be introduced. He puts Ulysses on the floor and instructs Roger to make friends. Roger seems nonplussed when Ulysses turns his head all the way around. Finally, Roger belly crawls to Ulysses and pokes him with his nose, which turns out to be a mistake. Ulysses digs his claws into Roger's nose, and Roger refuses to come out from under the table until Ulysses is back in his basket.
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