The Twenty-One Balloons

by William Pene du Bois

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Themes and Characters

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The adventurous Professor William Waterman Sherman, who narrates this tale, embarks on a solo journey to travel around the world in his hot-air balloon. A retired arithmetic teacher, he has grown weary of four decades dealing with spitballs and gum stuck to his chair. Despite this, he retains both his humor and intellectual curiosity. Professor Sherman is an eccentric, yet thoroughly likable, character. His strong desire for solitude during his balloon voyage is a peculiar trait he never abandons—even at the story's end, he is eager to attempt the journey again. With subtle irony, the author places him in a society brimming with eccentrics, where he appears relatively normal. His own curiosity and love for experimentation find a match in the inventive islanders and their remarkable creations.

In a balloon, you can choose when to launch and generally when to land. The rest is subject to nature's whims.
When Professor Sherman arrives on Krakatoa, he discovers a unique Utopian society. The twenty families residing on the island have agreed that their mutual survival hinges on two key factors—keeping their immense wealth hidden from the outside world and cooperating fully with one another. To this end, they have established an unusual form of democracy. Under their Gourmet Government, each family operates a restaurant where everyone else dines one day out of their twenty-day month. This system ensures everyone earns a decent living without working more than one day in twenty.

In their perfectly democratic fashion, each family is identified by an alphabetical name. The "A" family runs the "A" restaurant, specializing in American cuisine; the "F" family manages the French restaurant, and so forth. They have learned to enjoy their communal lifestyle without vying for wealth. Annually, one islander sells a diamond on the mainland to secure enough funds for the community's needs without exposing the island's secret riches.

The islanders have not only devised an innovative government but also use their abundant free time for highly creative pursuits. Some inventions are hilariously comical and absurd, while others are endearingly impractical. Among their creations is a bed-making machine, a wish-fulfillment fantasy that appeals to every reader, alongside electrified furniture that whizzes around on wheels with outrageous and sometimes hazardous results. The Twenty-One Balloons highlights themes of creativity, individuality, eccentricity, and cooperation, as the Professor navigates the complexities of Krakatoan society.

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