# The Stranger — Flatland character guide

> The Stranger in Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Stranger, the Stranger, thy, Your, your

**First appearance:** 0019-xv-concerning-a-stranger-from-spaceland

## Snapshot

The hollow voice and shifting Circle who invades the Square's study, first as a puzzle, then as a teacher, then as something far stranger.

## Who they are

He appears without warning, speaks from the depths of nowhere, and refuses to be touched or measured, slipping out of the Square's world even as the Square presses against him. What begins as an intellectual duel — the Stranger posing questions about points, lines, and squares — becomes a plea for belief, and then a demonstration by deeds when words fail. His insistence that he sees inside closed things, and his willingness to risk everything on one convert, make him the engine of the Square's awakening.

## Relationships

### [The Isosceles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters/the_isosceles)

_social_

The Isosceles and Stranger have a negligible relationship, likely a brief encounter.

### [The Sphere](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters/the_sphere)

_psychological_

The Sphere and Stranger have a cryptic, possibly manipulative dynamic, with the Stranger being a counterpart or rival in dimensional knowledge.

### [The Circles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters/the_circles)

_social_

The Circles and Stranger have minimal contact, likely formal or ceremonial.

### [The Isosceles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters/the_isosceles)

_social_

The Isosceles and Stranger have a negligible relationship, likely a brief encounter.

## In the story

### [Preface to the Second and Revised Edition, 1884](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/preface-to-the-second-and-revised-edition-1884)

The Stranger is not directly mentioned in this preface.

### [Part II: Other Worlds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/part-ii-other-worlds)

The initial mysterious figure who appears in Flatland, later revealed to be the Sphere.

### [XV: Concerning a Stranger from Spaceland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/xv-concerning-a-stranger-from-spaceland)

Appears suddenly in the Square's home, speaking audibly; initially mistaken for a woman, then for a Circle, but reveals himself to be 'many Circles in one' and requests a private conversation.

### [How the Stranger Vainly Endeavoured to Reveal to Me in Words the Mysteries of Spaceland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/xvi-how-the-stranger-vainly-endeavoured-to-reveal-to-me-in-words-the-mysteries-of-spaceland)

The Stranger reveals himself as a Sphere and attempts to convince the Square of the third dimension through words and examples.

### [How the Sphere, Having in Vain Tried Words, Resorted to Deeds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/xvii-how-the-sphere-having-in-vain-tried-words-resorted-to-deeds)

The Stranger is the Sphere in disguise, initially appearing as a magician before revealing his true nature.

### [How the Sphere Encouraged Me in a Vision](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/xx-how-the-sphere-encouraged-me-in-a-vision)

The Sphere is also referred to as the Stranger in the context of the dream vision.

### [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations)

The Stranger is implied as the visitor from Spaceland, though not directly named in the illustrations.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters/the_stranger
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/flatland_se/characters