Childhood's End | Chapter 7 | Summary

Summary

George Greggson and Jean Morrel, a couple who have lived their whole lives under Overlord rule, arrive at the home of Rupert Boyce for a party, traveling from Alaska to Africa to attend. While in Boyce's library, they meet an Overlord named Rashaverak, which shocks them. They learn that Rashaverak is interested in reading Rupert's books on the paranormal, another surprising development because the Overlords are not known to have an interest in anything nonscientific.

Analysis

From this chapter on, George and Jean are two of the main characters through which the Overlords are understood. In this chapter, the reader is shown how easy travel has become (as George and Jean travel to Africa for a party) and learns that the Overlords have remained largely absent since revealing their form through Karellen. However, George and Jean encounter one named Rashaverak at a party, suggesting that the Overlords are in contact with some humans. Like Stormgren earlier on, George and Jean are shown a glimpse of the true nature of the Overlord-human relationship: namely, the Overlords believe they can use humanity when they need to and provide no further information to help the humans understand their actions or motives.