Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

When the Square first arrives in Spaceland, his reaction succinctly illustrates The Unreliable Nature of Knowledge (64). Having no way to understand what he is witnessing, he interprets his experience as “unspeakable horror” and believes he is either hallucinating or has been transported to Hell. The Sphere tells the Square he is experiencing knowledge and urges him to open his eyes. When he does, he can see the Sphere’s insides and is infatuated with their “perfect Circular beauty” (64). Now grateful to and worshipful of the Sphere, he journeys willingly with him through Space. He sees the inside of his own home, including all its angles, which he had never been able to see before and whose existence he had merely inferred. He then sees all of Flatland, inside every house and every inhabitant’s body. He describes himself as a god and claims to have what Flatlanders call omnividence, or the ability to perceive everything. The Sphere retorts that this ability is not special and even the lowliest inhabitants of Spaceland can see what the Square can now see. He also emphasizes the fact that increased sight does not automatically make one more merciful or loving, and in fact, many in Spaceland privilege compassion over understanding.