Excerpt

Excerpt from The gods of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Turning to me, she said: “You shall be returned to Shador for the
present. Later Issus will see the manner of your fighting. Go.” Then
she disappeared, followed by her retinue. Only Phaidor lagged behind,
and as I started to follow my guard toward the gardens, the girl came
running after me.

“Oh, do not leave me in this terrible place,” she begged. “Forgive the
things I said to you, my Prince. I did not mean them. Only take me away
with you. Let me share your imprisonment on Shador.” Her words were an
almost incoherent volley of thoughts, so rapidly she spoke. “You did
not understand the honour that I did you. Among the therns there is no
marriage or giving in marriage, as among the lower orders of the outer
world. We might have lived together for ever in love and happiness. We
have both looked upon Issus and in a year we die. Let us live that year
at least together in what measure of joy remains for the doomed.”

“If it was difficult for me to understand you, Phaidor,” I replied,
“can you not understand that possibly it is equally difficult for you
to understand the motives, the customs and the social laws that guide
me? I do not wish to hurt you, nor to seem to undervalue the honour
which you have done me, but the thing you desire may not be. Regardless
of the foolish belief of the peoples of the outer world, or of Holy
Thern, or ebon First Born, I am not dead. While I live my heart beats
for but one woman—the incomparable Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.
When death overtakes me my heart shall have ceased to beat; but what
comes after that I know not. And in that I am as wise as Matai Shang,
Master of Life and Death upon Barsoom; or Issus, Goddess of Life
Eternal.”

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Context of the Source

The Gods of Mars (1913) is the second novel in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series, a classic work of early 20th-century planetary romance and science fantasy. The series follows the adventures of John Carter, a Confederate veteran from Earth who is mysteriously transported to Mars (called "Barsoom" by its inhabitants). In this installment, Carter returns to Barsoom and becomes entangled in the religious and political intrigues of the Therns, a priestly caste who worship the false goddess Issus, and the First Born, a race of dark-skinned Martians who serve her.

The excerpt takes place after Carter has been captured by the Therns and brought before Issus, who rules over a decaying, theocratic empire. Phaidor, a young Thern woman, has developed an infatuation with Carter, but he remains devoted to Dejah Thoris, his love from the first book (A Princess of Mars). The scene captures a moment of emotional and ideological conflict, highlighting themes of love, duty, cultural relativism, and the rejection of false divinity.

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Breakdown of the Excerpt

1. The Immediate Situation: Phaidor’s Desperation

The passage begins with Issus (the false goddess) ordering Carter to be returned to Shador, a prison-like region. As Carter is led away, Phaidor—a Thern priestess who had earlier shown disdain for him—suddenly begs him to take her with him.

• "Oh, do not leave me in this terrible place… Let me share your imprisonment on Shador."

  • Phaidor’s plea reveals her fear of Issus’ realm (which is later exposed as a fraudulent paradise) and her desperation for companionship.
  • Her words are "an almost incoherent volley of thoughts", suggesting panic and emotional instability, contrasting with the Therns’ usual cold, superior demeanor.
  • She offers to share his imprisonment, a stark reversal from her earlier disdain, showing how fear and loneliness can break down pride.

• "You did not understand the honour that I did you… Among the therns there is no marriage or giving in marriage… We might have lived together forever in love and happiness."

  • Phaidor reveals the Therns’ unconventional social structure: they do not practice marriage as outsiders do, but instead engage in free unions based on mutual desire.
  • Her proposal is both romantic and pragmatic—since they are both doomed to die in a year (a lie spread by Issus to control her followers), she wants to spend that time with Carter.
  • This highlights a cultural clash: what Phaidor sees as an honor, Carter views as morally unacceptable due to his Earthly (and Martian) values.

2. Carter’s Response: Loyalty, Cultural Relativism, and Defiance of False Gods

Carter’s reply is firm but diplomatic, rejecting Phaidor while acknowledging her perspective.

• "If it was difficult for me to understand you, Phaidor, can you not understand that possibly it is equally difficult for you to understand the motives, the customs, and the social laws that guide me?"

  • Carter acknowledges cultural differences without condemning her, showing tolerance—a progressive stance for early 20th-century fiction.
  • He frames their misunderstanding as mutual, avoiding outright judgment while standing by his principles.

• "I do not wish to hurt you, nor to seem to undervalue the honour which you have done me, but the thing you desire may not be."

  • He softens his refusal with politeness, but his resolve is unshaken.
  • The phrase "may not be" is a euphemism—he means "will never be" but avoids outright harshness.

• "Regardless of the foolish belief of the peoples of the outer world, or of Holy Thern, or ebon First Born, I am not dead."

  • Carter rejects the Therns’ religious dogma that he is a spirit (since they believe all outsiders are already dead).
  • His defiance is both personal and ideological—he refuses to accept their false reality, reinforcing his rational, skeptical worldview.
  • The term "foolish belief" is bold, as he directly challenges the Therns’ authority and the divinity of Issus.

• "While I live my heart beats for but one woman—the incomparable Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium."

  • This is the emotional core of his response: his unwavering loyalty to Dejah Thoris.
  • The phrase "the incomparable" is hyperbolic, elevating Dejah Thoris to an almost mythic status in his eyes.
  • His love is not just romantic but a matter of honor, contrasting with Phaidor’s opportunistic proposal.

• "When death overtakes me my heart shall have ceased to beat; but what comes after that I know not. And in that I am as wise as Matai Shang, Master of Life and Death upon Barsoom; or Issus, Goddess of Life Eternal."

  • Carter mockingly equates himself with the supposed gods, suggesting that no one truly knows what comes after death.
  • This is a direct challenge to Issus’ divinity, implying that her claims of eternal life are fraudulent.
  • The irony is that the reader (and later, the characters) will learn that Issus is indeed a fraud, making Carter’s skepticism prophetic.

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Key Themes in the Excerpt

1. Love vs. Duty

   • Phaidor offers companionship in doom, while Carter remains faithful to Dejah Thoris, showing that his love is not situational but a matter of principle.
   • This reinforces the romantic idealism of the series—love is eternal and unchanging, not convenience-based.

2. Cultural Relativism & Moral Absolutism

   • Carter acknowledges that the Therns have different customs but does not compromise his own values.
   • This reflects Burroughs’ progressive (for the time) view that cultures differ, but individual integrity should not be sacrificed.

3. Rejection of False Divinity

   • The Therns’ religion is exposed as a lie—Issus is not a goddess, and her followers are manipulated.
   • Carter’s skepticism foreshadows the eventual downfall of Issus, a common theme in Burroughs’ work where false gods are overthrown by truth and courage.

4. Existential Defiance

   • Carter refuses to accept his supposed death, asserting his agency in a world that tries to define his reality for him.
   • This aligns with the heroic individualism of pulp fiction—one man against a corrupt system.

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Literary Devices Used

1. Dramatic Irony

   • The reader (and Carter) knows Issus is a fraud, but Phaidor and the Therns do not, making her desperation tragic.
   • Carter’s skepticism is validated later, creating tension.

2. Foreshadowing

   • Phaidor’s fear of Issus’ realm hints that it is not the paradise it claims to be.
   • Carter’s defiance of Issus’ authority foreshadows his eventual rebellion against her rule.

3. Contrast (Juxtaposition)

   • Phaidor’s desperation vs. Carter’s calm resolve.
   • Thern customs (free love, no marriage) vs. Carter’s monogamous loyalty.
   • False divinity (Issus) vs. human integrity (Carter).

4. Hyperbole & Elevated Language

   • "The incomparable Dejah Thoris" – mythicizing his love interest.
   • "Goddess of Life Eternal" – mockingly grand title for Issus, undermining her authority.

5. Dialogue as Characterization

   • Phaidor’s rapid, fragmented speech shows her emotional turmoil.
   • Carter’s measured, logical responses reinforce his stoic heroism.

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Significance of the Scene

1. Character Development

   • Carter’s unshakable loyalty is reinforced, making him a classic pulp hero—noble, defiant, and true to his word.
   • Phaidor’s vulnerability humanizes the Therns, who are otherwise villainous and arrogant.

2. Thematic Depth

   • The scene challenges blind faith, a progressive theme for early 20th-century fiction.
   • It explores cultural differences without resorting to xenophobia, a rarity in pulp adventure stories of the time.

3. Plot Progression

   • Phaidor’s plea sets up future conflicts—will she betray the Therns? Will she help Carter?
   • Carter’s defiance of Issus escalates the rebellion against her rule.

4. Philosophical Undercurrents

   • The exchange questions the nature of divinity, love, and mortality, giving the pulp adventure a deeper intellectual layer.

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Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This passage is more than just a romantic rejection—it is a microcosm of the novel’s central conflicts:

• Love vs. Convenience
• Truth vs. Dogma
• Individualism vs. Oppression

Carter’s refusal to compromise—even in the face of death and temptation—makes him a quintessential Burroughs hero. Meanwhile, Phaidor’s desperation adds tragic depth to the Therns, who are otherwise one-dimensional villains.

The scene also subverts expectations:

• A priestess begs a prisoner for salvation.
• A "goddess" is revealed to be a fraud through implication.
• The hero’s loyalty is tested, but he remains steadfast.

Ultimately, this excerpt embodies the spirit of The Gods of Mars—a blend of swashbuckling adventure, romantic idealism, and philosophical defiance against false authority.

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Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s description of Phaidor’s speech as “an almost incoherent volley of thoughts” primarily serves to:

A. underscore the ritualistic cadence of Thern religious discourse, contrasting with Carter’s secular pragmatism.
B. convey the psychological fragmentation of a character whose ideological certainties are collapsing under existential duress.
C. parody the melodramatic conventions of planetary romance, signaling Burroughs’ self-aware engagement with pulp tropes.
D. highlight the linguistic barriers between Martian dialects, reinforcing the novel’s themes of cross-cultural miscommunication.
E. foreshadow Phaidor’s eventual betrayal of the Therns, as her emotional instability presages a narrative turn toward treachery.

Question 2

Carter’s assertion that “I am as wise as Matai Shang, Master of Life and Death upon Barsoom; or Issus, Goddess of Life Eternal” functions rhetorically as:

A. a concession to Thern cosmology, temporarily adopting their framework to avoid immediate conflict.
B. an appeal to shared ignorance, framing his skepticism as a universal human condition rather than a personal attack.
C. a non sequitur that undermines his earlier logical arguments, revealing his emotional vulnerability.
D. a direct accusation of fraudulence, explicitly aligning Issus with known charlatans like Matai Shang.
E. a subversive equivalence that collapses the hierarchy of divine authority, exposing its arbitrariness through ironic parallelism.

Question 3

The passage’s exploration of cultural relativism is most sharply illustrated by:

A. Phaidor’s invocation of Thern mating customs as a “honour,” which Carter dismisses as morally bankrupt.
B. the juxtaposition of Issus’ decree (returning Carter to Shador) with Phaidor’s plea, showing how authority fractures under individual desire.
C. Carter’s use of the phrase “lower orders of the outer world,” which betrays his own unexamined prejudices despite his professed tolerance.
D. the narrative’s omission of Dejah Thoris’ perspective, privileging male agency in cross-cultural negotiations.
E. Carter’s acknowledgment that mutual incomprehension stems from divergent “motives, customs, and social laws,” not inherent superiority.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the tonal shift between Phaidor’s dialogue and Carter’s response?

A. From lyrical idealism to cynical realism, as Carter’s materialism undercuts Phaidor’s spiritual yearnings.
B. From performative submission to authoritarian command, reflecting gendered power dynamics in Barsoom.
C. From fragmented desperation to unified resolve, mirroring the structural contrast between chaos and order.
D. From emotional immediacy to detached abstraction, as Carter intellectualizes a crisis Phaidor experiences viscerally.
E. From religious fervor to secular humanism, with Carter’s rejection of divinity framing the exchange as a clash of worldviews.

Question 5

The phrase “the incomparable Dejah Thoris” is primarily employed to:

A. invoke the trope of the “unobtainable woman,” reinforcing Carter’s role as a tragic, doomed lover.
B. elevate Dejah Thoris to a symbolic plane, transforming personal loyalty into an almost metaphysical principle.
C. contrast the purity of Helium’s royalty with the corruption of Issus’ theocracy, using Dejah as a moral yardstick.
D. underscore the cultural gulf between Helium and the Therns, as Dejah’s title marks her as an outsider to their customs.
E. foreshadow Dejah Thoris’ eventual intervention in the plot, as her “incomparability” hints at her narrative agency.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The description of Phaidor’s speech as “incoherent” and “rapid” aligns with a psychological unraveling—her ideological foundation (faith in Issus, Thern superiority) is crumbling under the dual pressures of existential terror (impending death) and emotional desperation (abandonment by Carter). The passage emphasizes her cognitive dissonance: she clings to Carter as a lifeline while still operating within the Thern framework she now questions. This is not merely emotional distress but a structural collapse of belief, which option B captures precisely.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The text does not contrast ritualistic Thern discourse with Carter’s pragmatism here; the focus is on Phaidor’s individual breakdown, not communal speech patterns.
• C: While Burroughs’ work occasionally parodies pulp tropes, this moment is psychologically grounded, not metatextual. The incoherence serves character, not genre commentary.
• D: Linguistic barriers are not the issue; Phaidor and Carter understand each other’s words but interpret their meanings differently due to cultural frameworks.
• E: The incoherence does not foreshadow betrayal—it reflects her current instability, not a future narrative turn. Betrayal would require agency, but here she is reactive, not strategic.

2) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: Carter’s statement is rhetorically subversive: by equating himself—a mortal skeptic—with Matai Shang (a known fraud) and Issus (a false goddess), he collapses the hierarchy that grants them authority. The irony lies in the false equivalence: if all three are equally “wise” (i.e., ignorant) about the afterlife, then divine claims are arbitrary. This undermines Issus’ authority not through direct attack (which would be risky) but through structural parallelism, exposing the contingency of power. Option E captures this indirect, ironic critique.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Carter does not concede to Thern cosmology; he undermines it by placing himself on equal footing with its figures.
• B: While he frames ignorance as universal, the primary effect is not to soften his skepticism but to expose the gods’ fraudulence.
• C: The statement is rhetorically coherent with his earlier arguments; it is not a non sequitur but a deliberate escalation of his defiance.
• D: He does not explicitly accuse Issus of fraud here; the subversion is implicative, relying on the reader’s awareness of Matai Shang’s deceit.

3) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: Carter’s acknowledgment that both he and Phaidor struggle to understand each other’s frameworks (“motives, customs, and social laws”) is the clearest articulation of relativism in the passage. He does not dismiss Thern customs as inferior (avoiding ethnocentrism) but locates the conflict in systemic differences, not personal failing. This aligns with a sophisticated cultural relativism rare in early 20th-century pulp, where “otherness” was often vilified. Option E isolates this mutual incomprehension as the core issue.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Phaidor does not frame her proposal as morally bankrupt; Carter rejects it personally but does not condemn Thern customs outright.
• B: The juxtaposition of Issus’ decree and Phaidor’s plea illustrates individual vs. authority, not relativism.
• C: Carter’s use of “lower orders” is descriptive, not prejudiced; he is quoting Phaidor’s own terminology to mirror her perspective, not imposing his.
• D: The omission of Dejah Thoris’ perspective is a narrative limitation, not an example of relativism. The passage focuses on Carter’s agency, not gendered exclusion.

4) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: Phaidor’s dialogue is visceral and immediate—her words tumble out in a physical expression of panic (“begged,” “running,” “incoherent volley”). Carter, by contrast, intellectualizes the moment: he analyzes their misunderstanding as a structural issue (“motives, customs, social laws”) and frames his rejection in abstract principles (loyalty to Dejah, skepticism of divinity). The tonal shift is thus from embodied crisis to detached reasoning, with Carter translating emotional chaos into ideological clarity. Option D captures this cognitive distance.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Carter is not a materialist; his response is moral and philosophical, not reductively “realist.”
• B: The shift is not about power dynamics but modes of processing conflict—emotional vs. analytical.
• C: While “fragmented desperation” vs. “resolve” is textually accurate, the key contrast is embodiment vs. abstraction, not just structure.
• E: The exchange is not a clash of worldviews (both reject Issus’ divinity in different ways) but a difference in coping mechanisms.

5) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: “The incomparable Dejah Thoris” is not merely romantic hyperbole but a rhetorical elevation of personal loyalty to a transcendent principle. By describing her as “incomparable,” Carter removes her from the realm of contingent choice—she is not one option among many (like Phaidor’s proposal) but a fixed moral compass. This transforms his devotion from personal preference to almost metaphysical certainty, reinforcing the novel’s theme that true love is an unshakable force in a world of deception. Option B captures this symbolic dimension.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Dejah Thoris is not framed as “unobtainable” here; Carter’s tone is possessive (“my heart beats for but one woman”), not melancholic.
• C: While Dejah does contrast with Issus’ corruption, the phrase’s primary function is to sacralize Carter’s loyalty, not to moralize.
• D: The cultural gulf is not the focus; the phrase emphasizes Dejah’s uniqueness to Carter, not her outsider status.
• E: The phrase does not foreshadow narrative agency; it is retrospective, reinforcing Carter’s existing devotion, not future action.