If You Touch Them They Vanish

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

22247

Title

If You Touch Them They Vanish

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a secluded valley, a wrongfully imprisoned man named the Poor Boy imagines a utopian settlement where only women hold political power. Haunted by a supernatural curse where physical contact causes people to vanish, he struggles with his own sanity and a mysterious woman who appears only when he does not touch her. A poignant tale of isolation, imagination, and the desperate desire for human connection.

Summary up to 500 words

In Gouverneur Morris's *If You Touch Them They Vanish*, the narrative centers on the 'Poor Boy,' a wealthy man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. Upon his release, he retreats to a secluded mountain valley called Joyous Guard with his devoted caretaker, Old Martha. Unable to endure the scrutiny of others regarding his innocence, he constructs an elaborate fantasy of a utopian society governed by women, children, and a commission of three. While building this imaginary village in his mind, he is plagued by a bizarre condition: any person he touches physically vanishes into thin air. This curse prevents him from holding hands with or kissing the woman he loves, Miss Joy, who appears to him only as a spirit. The story explores the tension between his vivid imagination and the harsh reality of his isolation. As he plays out scenarios of his ideal community, he grapples with the impossibility of his desires, imagining a settlement where women hold votes and men are excluded from juries. The narrative culminates in a dramatic shift when, after a moment of despair, he touches Miss Joy and she remains solid. This breakthrough allows him to embrace her, leading to a resolution where his imagination and reality merge. The experience leaves him in a state of ecstatic madness, finally achieving the connection he craved. The tale serves as a poignant exploration of love, imagination, and the psychological toll of injustice, suggesting that sometimes the barrier between dream and reality must be broken to find true happiness.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22247.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg22247.epub

Removed after upload

Downloaded at

2026-07-05 20:36 UTC

Categories

• Fantasy
• Canadian Fiction