The Story of Doctor Dolittle · Chapter
The Monkeys' Council explained
Chee-Chee keeps watch while Doctor Dolittle sleeps.
What happens
Chee-Chee keeps watch while Doctor Dolittle sleeps. Upon waking, the Doctor announces he must return to Puddleby to repay debts, surprising the monkeys. They hold a council to discuss how to persuade him to stay, but Chee-Chee explains the necessity of money in the Land of the White Men. Ultimately, they decide to give the Doctor a rare gift—a pushmi-pullyu, an animal no White Man has ever seen.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of the Doctor’s jour…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Critique of Human Arrogance
The monkeys are shocked by the White Men's need for money and their practice of caging animals in menageries, highlighting human folly.
- Friendship and Loyalty
The monkeys' council demonstrates their deep gratitude and loyalty to Doctor Dolittle, as they seek to give him a magnificent gift.
Characters to notice
- Doctor Dolittle
Announces his intention to return to Puddleby to pay his debts, prompting the monkeys' council.
- Chee-Chee
Keeps watch at the Doctor's door, then speaks at the council explaining money and the need for the Doctor to return.
- Chief Chimpanzee
Rises to question why the Doctor is leaving and suggests building him a new house to make him stay.
- Gub-Gub
Not directly mentioned in this excerpt, but is part of the Doctor's animal family; omitted due to lack of presence.
Key passages
“Then Chee-Chee told them that in the Land of the White Men you could get nothing without money; you could do nothing without money—that it was almost impossible to live without money.”
Chee-Chee explained that in the white men's country, money is essential for everything; without it, life is nearly impossible.
Highlights the cultural contrast between the monkeys' world and human society.
“And the monkeys were very shocked and said to one another, 'These Men are like thoughtless young ones—stupid and easily amused. Sh! It is a prison he means.'”
The monkeys were horrified and remarked that white men behave like foolish children, finding amusement in what is essentially a prison for animals.
Emphasizes the theme of critique of human arrogance and the monkeys' perspective on menageries.
