The Night Came Slowly

“Someone has said it is better to study one man than ten books.”

An old adage, the narrator says, suggests that a single man may contain as much as 10 entire books. In other words, by studying man, one may learn even more than by reading books. However, in step with the narrator’s opening line, the narrator does not agree with this adage; both men and books contribute to her suffering, not to her knowledge.

“Can one of them talk to me like the night – the Summer night? Like the stars or the caressing wind.”

No man or book could communicate with the eloquence of the night. Chopin begins personifying nature here, the features of which can apparently “talk.” The adjective “caressing” also first introduces the theme of The Allure of Gentleness.

“The night came slowly, softly, as I lay out there under the maple tree. It came creeping, creeping stealthily out of the valley, thinking I did not notice.”

The symbol of the night becomes more developed here. The narrator sits under a maple tree as dusk gradually darkens, which the narrator perceives as the entity that is night approaching. Unlike man, night is patient and quiet, it creeps and sneaks, seemingly finding it ideal to go unnoticed entirely. The narrator, though, is aware of the night’s sneakiness.

“And the outlines of trees and foliage nearby blended in one black mass and the night came stealing out from then, too, and from the east and west, until the only light was in the sky, filtering through the maple leaves and a star looking down through every cranny.”

Time is somewhat blurry in this short piece. It is not entirely clear if the experience under the maple tree is a memory or happening in the moment. This blurriness adds to the “spell” of the night, contributing to the sense also captured here of the night merging and emerging from all things. These words also demonstrate the beautiful imagery that Chopin creates using nature and the richness of her symbolism. The maple leaves act as a sort of veil, allowing the narrator and the sky to observe one another, but only partially. Light commonly represents wisdom, an association that augments the theme of The Divinity of Nature.

“The night is solemn and it means mystery.”

This quote stands alone in the text, a short paragraph by itself, which forces a pause before and after its reading. Much like the night itself, the message encourages the reader to sit with it for a moment before continuing. This line enriches the night’s personality and posits the idea that the night is almost divine. It cannot be fully understood, yet it possesses a profound dignity that seems to call for attention.

“Human shapes flitted by like intangible things. Some stole up like little mice to peep at me. I did not mind. My whole being was abandoned to the soothing and penetrating charm of the night.”

This quote establishes a disconnect between humanity and the night. As the narrator slips further under the spell of the night, the intangibility of humans becomes more evident. Humans are merely “human shapes.” The narrator’s already weakening interest in humans and their lives dwindles. The narrator is too invested in the night’s wonder to care what the people around them are doing. If anything, the humans are reduced to small woodland creatures, things that “flit” about and peep “like little mice.”

“The katydids began their slumber song: they are at it yet. How wise they are. They do not chatter like people. They tell me only: ‘sleep, sleep, sleep.’”

Katydids are insects that call at night, so their sound is often associated with evenings. Here, the association between night and death is strengthened, with the katydids urging the narrator into a seemingly eternal sleep. The contrast between nature and humanity is also noted again here: While human speech sounds like chatter, which generally concerns trivial subjects, the katydids’ sing a lullaby, soothing the narrator further. There’s a great comfort that comes from nature.

“The wind rippled the maple leaves like little warm love thrills.”

In this quote, Chopin uses a simile to create an image of how the wind moves the leaves. The maple leaves, which separate the narrator from full exposure to the remaining light in the sky, suggest a thin barrier between the narrator and the transcension they seek. The simile complements the theme of The Allure of Gentleness, demonstrating further the tenderness of the natural world’s mode of communication. Moreover, the simile helps hint at the nearness of the narrator to full immersion in the night and what lies within it; mortality means that the living are never terribly far from what lies beyond the realm of human comprehension.

“Why do fools cumber the Earth! It was a man’s voice that broke the necromancer’s spell.”

Just as the narrator seems to be on the brink of sleep, on the edge of slipping fully into the night and accessing the transcension they seek, “a man’s voice” undermines the process. In frustration, the narrator asks why this must be the case. This question could be interpreted in several ways. It refers to the Bible teacher, in part. It arguably refers to the voice of men more broadly. In addition, having failed to fall fully under the night’s spell, the narrator is, in a way, still among these mortal fools.

“A man came to-day with his ‘Bible Class.’ He is detestable with his red cheeks and bold eyes and coarse manner and speech. What does he know of Christ?”

The Bible teacher represents The Ugliness of Man’s Hubris. His mannerisms suggest a loud and blustering man, one disruptive and self-important enough that the narrator finds him “detestable.” That the narrator places the term “Bible Class” in quotation marks helps to emphasize their scorn: this Bible teacher, the narrator feels, has little to offer.