More Than Human Part 1, Section 11 Summary

  • Lone is going to get a name, we learn.
  • Here comes some deep sci-fi stuff. We learn that Lone's weeping at his togetherness with the Prodds has taught him to absorb meaning from others.
  • We find out that the night he cried, he learned to detect when speech is aimed at him, and finally figured out how to receive ideas from others. It's difficult for him to translate ideas into speech, however.
  • Mr. Prodd asks Lone what his name is while they are working on the farm in the sun.
  • Jolted by Mr. Prodd's question, Lone reaches for the meaning of the word "name."
  • If he could express the pure concept in words, we learn it would be that a name is the single thing that is his identity, all that he adds up to. Whoa, very deep.
  • Lone is dimly aware that with the Prodds, he is but a substitute for something. Yep, that's Jack.
  • He takes from Mr. Prodd the concept and the sound of the phrase "All alone" and tries to say it, the physical enunciation difficult for him. Poor guy, once again.
  • The best Mr. Prodd can decipher is the word "Lone." He asks if this is correct. Lone decides the symbol is close enough and nods.
  • Five years pass. Lone is now about thirty-one. We learn he prefers not to talk and never learns to read; he's simply not equipped for it.