Gregor and the Marks of Secret
Chapter 1
by Suzanne, Collins,Gregor, the protagonist, reflects on his physical scars from past battles in the Underland, a hidden world beneath New York City. The silvery marks, left by giant ants and vines, make him self-conscious, especially in summer when he can’t cover them. He reluctantly applies a fish-scented ointment prescribed by Underlander doctors, though he’s been inconsistent with it. His neighbor, Mrs. Cormaci, had warned him about drawing unwanted attention to his scars, highlighting his family’s need to avoid questions. Despite his discomfort, Gregor finds solace in the thought of escaping to the Underland, which has ironically become a refuge from his cramped, stressful home life.
Gregor’s family struggles with absence and illness. His mother remains in the Underland, recovering from a plague, while his father and grandmother cope with their own health issues. The apartment feels incomplete without his mom, and Gregor often catches himself searching for her. He rationalizes that the Underland offers her better care, with Regalia’s doctors and comfortable conditions, even though the city is perpetually on the verge of war. The chapter underscores the family’s fractured dynamic and Gregor’s mixed feelings about the Underland—both a place of danger and a sanctuary.
The morning scene shifts to a breakfast prepared by Mrs. Cormaci, who helps care for the family. Gregor’s younger sister, Lizzie, is anxious about leaving for camp, fearing something might happen to her family in her absence. Her panic escalates until their father reassures her. Gregor accidentally exacerbates her distress by referencing her inability to visit their mom in the Underland due to her paralyzing fear. Mrs. Cormaci intervenes, validating Lizzie’s fears while subtly expressing her own aversion to the Underland, which she knows about from Gregor’s confessions.
The chapter reveals that Mrs. Cormaci is aware of the Underland’s existence, having been told the family’s extraordinary secret. Gregor had explained everything—from his father’s disappearance to the giant talking creatures and prophecies labeling him as a warrior. Surprisingly, Mrs. Cormaci believed him, though she was initially stunned when meeting a talking bat. Her acceptance contrasts with the family’s isolation, offering a rare ally in their chaotic lives. The chapter ends with a sense of uneasy normalcy, balancing domestic struggles with the lingering shadow of the Underland’s dangers.
FAQs
1. How does Gregor’s physical scarring serve as both a literal and symbolic reminder of his experiences in the Underland?
Answer:
Gregor’s scars physically mark him as a veteran of the Underland’s dangers, with distinct types representing different threats - vine marks from the jungle and deeper ant mandible wounds from battle. These silvery-white scars force him to conceal his body in summer, making them a constant, visible reminder of his trauma. Symbolically, they represent his transition from ordinary boy to warrior, carrying permanent evidence of his battles much like soldiers bear war wounds. The scars also create a barrier between his two worlds, as they prompt questions he can’t answer in the surface world, emphasizing how the Underland has fundamentally changed him.2. Analyze how the chapter portrays the contrast between the Underland as both a place of danger and refuge for Gregor’s family.
Answer:
The chapter presents a complex duality about the Underland - while it’s the source of Gregor’s physical scars and his mother’s illness, it has also become a summer refuge from their cramped, stressful apartment. Though filled with war threats, Regalia offers superior medical care and comfort for Gregor’s mother, treating her “like a queen.” For Gregor, it provides escape from surface-world problems like hiding his scars and their financial struggles. This irony highlights how trauma can reshape perceptions - the once-dreaded Underland now offers relief from surface hardships, showing how circumstances can invert our understanding of safety and danger.3. What does Lizzie’s anxiety about attending camp reveal about the psychological impact of the family’s situation?
Answer:
Lizzie’s camp anxiety manifests deeper familial trauma - her panic about returning to find everyone gone reflects the instability caused by her father’s past disappearance and mother’s current absence. Her inability to eat and catastrophic thinking (“what if I come back and everybody’s gone?”) demonstrate how repeated family crises have eroded her sense of security. This contrasts with Gregor’s coping mechanism of escaping to the Underland, showing different responses to shared trauma. Lizzie’s failed attempts to visit the Underland, resulting in panic attacks, further reveal how the family’s extraordinary circumstances have created psychological barriers that even a “normal” experience like camp triggers.4. How does Mrs. Cormaci’s character serve as both comic relief and emotional support for the family?
Answer:
Mrs. Cormaci provides crucial balance - her blunt humor (“that takes the cake”) and practical care (making breakfast) offset the family’s heavy burdens. Her acceptance of their bizarre secret offers validation no one else can provide, becoming their sole surface-world confidant. While mocking the Underland (“You wouldn’t get me down there”), she still helps maintain normalcy, like ensuring Lizzie eats before camp. Her tarot-reading background makes her the perfect bridge between worlds - skeptical enough to question but open-minded enough to believe. This allows her to support them without being overwhelmed by their trauma, modeling healthy boundaries.5. What narrative purpose does the fish ointment detail serve in establishing Gregor’s daily reality?
Answer:
The foul-smelling ointment ritual effectively illustrates Gregor’s conflicted relationship with his Underland experiences. Its fishy odor permeating his room mirrors how the Underland permeates his life, while his inconsistent use shows his avoidance of the trauma it represents. The scouring powder needed to remove it emphasizes how deeply these experiences mark him, both physically and psychologically. This mundane yet vivid detail grounds the fantastical elements in tangible reality, showing how extraordinary events create ordinary burdens - even something as simple as applying medicine becomes a daily reminder of battles fought and the dual life he must conceal.
Quotes
1. “There were about a zillion things his family couldn’t afford … but questions topped the list.”
This quote encapsulates Gregor’s family’s precarious situation - both financially and in keeping their Underland experiences secret. It highlights how their struggles extend beyond material poverty to the emotional burden of concealment.
2. “How ironic that the Underland, which had always been a place to dread, had become a place to escape to this summer.”
This represents a key turning point in Gregor’s perspective, showing how his relationship with the Underland has transformed from fear to refuge, while also contrasting the Underland’s comforts with his difficult home life.
3. “She was better off in the Underland in a lot of ways. Even if it was miles beneath their apartment and she missed them all so much.”
This poignant quote captures Gregor’s conflicted feelings about his mother’s absence, acknowledging both the practical benefits of her being in Regalia and the emotional toll of their separation.
4. “That’s because your sister’s the only one in this family with any sense… You wouldn’t get me down in that Underland for a million dollars.”
Mrs. Cormaci’s remark provides outsider perspective on the Underland’s danger while highlighting Lizzie’s very human fear - contrasting with Gregor’s growing acceptance of this other world.
5. “Finally, he’d told Mrs. Cormaci that there was a string of prophecies that called him a warrior… and that, after a few violent encounters, he had also been designated a rager.”
This summary quote introduces the crucial prophecy element and Gregor’s warrior identity, central to both the chapter’s revelations and the larger narrative arc.