52 pages • 1 hour read
The Enormous Egg
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 6-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary
After church, Nate meets up with Joe Champigny. When Nate shows Joe the dinosaur, Joe insists that it’s merely a big lizard. Though Nate refers to Dr. Ziemer’s expertise, Joe wonders if Dr. Ziemer is playing a joke on Nate, explaining that his father encourages him to distrust city folk. Joe returns home, and Nate decides that he still trusts Dr. Ziemer’s opinion.
After dinner, Dr. Ziemer returns to check on the dinosaur. When Nate asks if they need to bottle-feed the dinosaur, Dr. Ziemer explains that baby dinosaurs, like all reptiles, can eat adult food. He also mentions that dinosaurs, like chickens, have gizzards.
Since triceratops are typically vegetarians, Dr. Ziemer helps Nate gather piles of leaves and grass. The dinosaur stumbles over to the grass pile and devours it, before similarly inhaling the pile of leaves. Afterwards, the dinosaur settles down for a nap.
Beholding the dinosaur’s immense appetite, Dr. Ziemer wishes that they could put him out to pasture. However, he worries that the dinosaur might escape, or that the goat might harm him. When Nate sticks up for the goat’s gentleness, Dr. Ziemer cautions that animals and people might react unpredictably to a dinosaur.
At Dr. Ziemer’s urging, Nate fetches a scale from the kitchen, so that they can properly weigh the dinosaur. At first, Nate hesitates to pick him up, noticing that his beak resembles that of a snapping turtle. When Nate asks Dr. Ziemer if the dinosaur is likely to bite, Dr. Ziemer admits he’s unsure. However, when poked, the dinosaur barely startles. Cautiously, Nate picks up the dinosaur and places him on the scale.
Dr. Ziemer carefully records the dinosaur’s weight as four and a quarter pounds. He and Nate gather another large pile of grass and leaves and weigh it accordingly. Dr. Ziemer approximates the dinosaur’s birth weight and then measures the dinosaur’s length. Dr. Ziemer records each of these measurements in his notebook.
Responding to Nate’s questions, Dr. Ziemer explains that a triceratops isn’t poisonous, instead relying on its armor for defense. He also predicts that the triceratops will likely grow to 20 feet, weighing ten tons. Nate, startled, wonders how long it will take for the dinosaur to reach maturity. Dr. Ziemer hazards a guess but admits that his expertise is lacking, as he usually works with fossils.
Suddenly, Cynthia emerges, exclaiming that Dr. Ziemer has received a telegram. The telegram, from Alfred Kennedy, accuses Dr. Ziemer of playing a joke. Dr. Ziemer and Cynthia hurry inside to call Kennedy.
In the meantime, Nate reconnects with Joe Champigny. Again, Joe insists that Nate’s dinosaur is merely a lizard, explaining that his father distrusts scientists and doesn’t believe in dinosaurs. Nevertheless, Nate sticks to his guns, realizing the pointlessness of arguing.
Chapter 7 Summary
Dr. Ziemer calls Dr. Kennedy and urges him to fly to Freedom, threatening to alert the Museum of Natural History if he declines. As Dr. Ziemer emerges from the house, he announces that Dr. Kennedy has agreed to hop on the next plane.
Dr. Ziemer, Nate, Joe, and Cynthia chat over glasses of lemonade, anticipating the excitement. Cynthia is excited to field calls from Boston and Portland while Nate wonders if news will reach New York or Chicago. When Joe disagrees, again referring to the dinosaur as a lizard, Dr. Ziemer intervenes, explaining that dinosaurs are a kind of lizard. However, when Joe asks why a dinosaur has hatched out of a hen’s egg, Dr. Ziemer admits he doesn’t know, but references the shared history between birds and reptiles. Dr. Ziemer prompts the children to recognize the similarities between chickens and turtles and posits that dinosaurs are another branch of the family. Joe is concerned that Dr. Ziemer, a scientist, is unable to explain things more concretely. However, Dr. Ziemer clarifies that scientists seek answers, as no scientist can know everything. Eventually, Dr. Ziemer returns to the MacPhersons, promising to be back in the morning.
Before dinner, Nate feeds the chickens and the dinosaur. At the dinner table, Mom asks Nate if he’s decided on a name for the dinosaur. When Nate admits he’s undecided, Pop suggests a family name, jokingly recalling that Mom’s great-uncle John Beazley had resembled a dinosaur. With Mom’s approval, Nate settles on “Uncle Beazley” as the dinosaur’s name.
Before bed, Nate ventures outside to wish Uncle Beazley goodnight, realizing that he’s already grown to like him a whole lot.
Chapter 8 Summary
After breakfast the next morning, Nate answers a knock at the door. He greets a tall, frazzled man who asks for Dr. Ziemer. When Nate reports that Dr. Ziemer is staying with the MacPhersons, the man asks for directions. Nate’s confusing directions, full of references to local landmarks and residents, frustrate the man, till he explodes with impatience. Nate rightly guesses that the man is Dr. Kennedy, just arrived from Washington, DC.
Soon, Dr. Ziemer arrives. He, Nate, and Dr. Kennedy move to view the dinosaur, though Dr. Kennedy still suspects a practical joke. When Dr. Kennedy peers into the pen, it’s empty, shocking Nate and Dr. Ziemer both.
Looking around, Nate notices a chicken by the fence. Inspecting further, he realizes that the fence is broken. Dr. Ziemer guesses that Uncle Beazley had been tempted by the tall grasses. Nate enlists Mom, Pop, and Cynthia, and together, they comb the grasses beyond the fence.
Eventually, they bump into Mrs. Parsons, tending her flower beds. Mrs. Parsons asks Nate what he’s up to, though he answers vaguely. When Mrs. Parsons grows frustrated, Nate is forced to admit that he’s searching for a dinosaur. Laughing, Mrs. Parsons assumes that he means a toy dinosaur.
Suddenly, Nate spots Uncle Beazley feasting on Mrs. Parsons’s gladioli. He quickly grabs him, and Mrs. Parsons begins to shout. Drawn by the commotion, the others soon join Nate and Mrs. Parsons. Once Pop apologizes, Mrs. Parsons calms, admitting that she’s always been interested in dinosaurs. Meanwhile, Dr. Kennedy is stunned, reluctantly admitting that Dr. Ziemer has been right all along. After the dust settles, Dr. Ziemer properly introduces Dr. Kennedy to the Twitchell family.
Back home, with Uncle Beazley secured again, Dr. Ziemer and Nate take fresh measurements. Much to their surprise, Uncle Beazley has doubled in size. As Dr. Ziemer finishes his measurements, Nate escorts Dr. Kennedy inside, where breakfast is waiting.
Chapter 9 Summary
Discussing the dinosaur with Dr. Ziemer, Dr. Kennedy agrees that they should alert the media. He argues, too, that Uncle Beazley should be relocated to the National Museum, where he could be best preserved for study. Dr. Ziemer, however, insists that they consult Nate, as Nate is Uncle Beazley’s rightful owner. Though Dr. Kennedy offers $100 (and later $150), Nate declines, preferring to keep Uncle Beazley close to home. He consents, though, to alert the scientific community. At first, Dr. Kennedy doubts that Freedom will be able to host the inevitable crowds, but Dr. Ziemer encourages him not to worry. Together, they telegram the news to the museum in Washington, DC.
That afternoon, Cynthia fields a phone call from the Natural History Museum in New York, wondering about the dinosaur bones that have apparently been discovered in Freedom. Jumping on the line, Dr. Ziemer sets the record straight. Later, as they listen to the radio, the family hears a story about Uncle Beazley. Soon after, phone calls flood the line, with calls from Dartmouth College and the Boston Museum of Science. Eventually, Pop asks Mrs. Beebe to ward off the calls until morning.
The next morning, Nate does his chores. He’s responsible for moving Ezekiel to the yard, milking the goats, and feeding both the hens and Uncle Beazley. He notices that Uncle Beazley has continued to grow quickly.
Word about Uncle Beazley spreads rapidly. Neighbors like Joe’s father and Mrs. Parsons pop in to investigate, while reporters flock to Freedom. Even Pop publishes an article in the Freedom Sentinel, noticing how quickly Freedom has become relevant. One day, a television crew arrives. They photograph Uncle Beazley and interview Nate. The Twitchells are glad when the crew finally packs up and leaves.
As more and more people arrive, Nate and Dr. Ziemer take care to protect Uncle Beazley’s pen, worried that someone might mistreat him. Soon, a throng of scientists arrives, of all different shapes and sizes. Nate listens as they argue, exchanging theories and ideas, and he likens their banter to his sixth-grade class. When Nate feeds Uncle Beazley, the scientists crowd around to watch and debate. Dr. Kennedy, meanwhile, is frustrated by the commotion.
After everyone leaves, the family sits down to dinner. Mom resents that they’re forced to eat late, at 8 o’clock. Though Nate insists on Uncle Beazley’s importance to science, Mom doesn’t budge.
Chapters 6-9 Analysis
This section of chapters explores the impact of technology, noting its relevance in broadcasting news of Uncle Beazley’s hatching and, in turn, broadening Freedom’s horizons. Ultimately, this prevalence of technology provokes consideration of science’s relationship to truth and also poignantly suggests the modern world’s connection to its not-so-distant past.
As the Twitchells and Dr. Ziemer reckon with Uncle Beazley’s hatching and its relevance to the scientific community, they seek the advantage of technology. The novel’s definition of technology reflects its time period. Writing from the 1950s, Butterworth could never have predicted the rapid proliferation of computer-based devices in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Instead, the novel is populated with more period-specific technology, as the Twitchells and Dr. Ziemer turn to the radio, telegraph, telephone, and television, which is still a novelty in mid-century America, to better navigate the ensuing hubbub.
All these modes of technology are intended for communication, allowing the Twitchells and Dr. Ziemer to publicize Uncle Beazley’s hatching. For instance, Dr. Ziemer promises to send a telegram to Dr. Kennedy, his colleague in Washington, DC, while Cynthia is eager to answer the telephone and assume the role of secretary. Later, too, Nate listens as the local radio station reports about Uncle Beazley, further exciting a flurry of attention that culminates in a “newsreel truck” arriving at the farm with “equipment and cameras and stuff” (85).
As these kinds of technology cooperate to rapidly distribute the Twitchells’ news, they invite, too, a connection with the broader world. Cynthia reports calls from Boothbay, Prouts Neck, Dartmouth College in Hanover, the Boston Museum of Science, and even the Natural History Museum in New York. Similarly, Dr. Ziemer’s telegram to Washington, DC, successfully convinces his colleague, Dr. Kennedy, to travel to Freedom. When Dr. Kennedy arrives, he’s immediately involved in a frantic hunt for Uncle Beazley, who’s mysteriously escaped his enclosure. Fittingly, it’s in this section of chapters that Butterworth highlights the breach in the Twitchells’ fence, a symbol of the Twitchells’ relationship to the outer world.
Once Uncle Beazley’s been recovered, and once Dr. Kennedy is convinced of his legitimacy, Dr. Kennedy echoes a familiar directive, arguing that they should pass the news to the Associated Press so that it might also catch the attention of radio. In linking the news with the radio, one of the most common forms of technology, Dr. Kennedy further suggests the interrelationship between technology, notoriety, and communication. Perhaps Pop sums it up best when he realizes that “Freedom’s back on the map again” (85), suggesting Science as a Force of Change.
As the story spreads to further corners of the world, its details are sometimes distorted. For instance, when a representative from the Natural History Museum in New York calls, they ask specifically about the “dinosaur bones” (82), unaware that Uncle Beazley is a living dinosaur. The New York Herald Tribune makes a similar mistake, asking about the “fossils” (83). Each time, Dr. Ziemer is quick to offer a correction, and Nate watches as he “straightened them out on that” (82). To Dr. Ziemer, being a responsible scientist means being accurate. Throughout these chapters and the rest of the novel, Dr. Ziemer is careful to complete thorough, detailed measurements of Uncle Beazley. For instance, after urging Nate that “we ought to be keeping a record of [Uncle Beazley’s] growth,” he uses Mom’s scales to weigh and measure Uncle Beazley, recording his weight at nearly 4 lb. and his length at 13.5 inches. This interest in specificity extends to naming conventions, too: When Nate mistakenly refers to Uncle Beazley as a “tricerapops,” Dr. Ziemer is quick to remind him that “it’s a triceratops, not pops, my boy” (57). Though the availability of technology might muddle facts and figures, Dr. Ziemer remains protective of science’s responsibility to the truth.
The prevalence of technology also provokes a larger consideration of the relationship between the past and the present. Superficially, it’s ironic that the hatching of a dinosaur, a symbolic representation of something old and out-of-date, is announced via television and radio. However, as Dr. Ziemer works to explain, the past and the present aren’t incompatible; instead, the present can be understood as a living reflection of what’s come before it. To illustrate this point, Dr. Ziemer asks Cynthia, Nate, and Joe to consider the similarities between turtles and chickens. Cynthia offers that both lay eggs while Joe mentions that “a turtle’s got a scaly kind of skin, and chickens are sort of scaly on their legs” (62). Summarizing their thoughts, Dr. Ziemer explains that “if you go back far enough, and I mean millions of years, you’ll find that birds and reptiles are related to one another” (62). Chickens, like all birds, are descendants of dinosaurs, just “another branch of the family” (62) that still carries the characteristics of its ancestors. Fittingly, Nate considers this lesson when naming his new dinosaur: sifting through the “best family names” (64), Nate lands on “Uncle Beazley,” after Mom’s great-uncle. As he pays homage to a long-deceased relative, Nate proves that the past and the present, or the modern and the dated, exist in an unexpected but beautiful harmony.
Unlock all 52 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: