Baboons

The baboons are encountered by Fiete Honka at the zoo, where his revulsion turns their bodies and behavior into a grotesque spectacle. The scene offers little independent access to the animals; instead, it shows how sharply Fiete’s hostile gaze shapes what he sees.

Encounter at the Baboon Rock

As Fiete passes the baboon enclosure, he dwells on the animals’ red hindquarters and misshapen bodies, which seem to him covered with growths and sores. Their climbing, shrieking, and mating strike him as signs of madness. The description records his disgust rather than establishing anything about the animals beyond what he observes.

Fiete’s Hostile Gaze

One baboon looks at Fiete with what he reads as hatred, briefly making the scrutiny seem mutual. He responds by judging the animal contemptible. The encounter gives the baboon a momentary presence as a watcher, but its supposed hostility remains filtered through Fiete’s interpretation; the animals chiefly expose the contempt with which he views them.