The Phantom Tollbooth Summary

Summary Paragraph The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is the story of Milo, a bored boy who receives an unusual package: a miniature tollbooth. When Milo enters the tollbooth in his electric toy car, he finds himself in the Lands Beyond, a world of imagination. Here he makes friends such as Tock, the Watchdog and finds himself in peculiar situations until he arrives in Dictionopolis, the Kingdom of Words. There he meets King Azaz, who sends Milo on a mission to rescue the princesses of Rhyme and Reason who are in prison in the Castle in the Air in hopes of restoring the relationship between himself and his brother, the Mathmagician. Milo and Tock leave Dictionopolis the Humbug, whom Azaz has sent to act as their guide. The three of them …show more content…
On their way there, Milo, Tock, and the Humbug encounter many strange people and find themselves in many strange situations as a result. One of the many places they find themselves in is the Island of Conclusions, which they got to by magically jumping to after making various assumption. Finally, they are able to get back on track by swimming through the Sea of Knowledge, which leads them to the outskirts of Digitopolis. There they meet the Mathmagician, who after Milo tricks him, allows Milo to release the princesses. The three still have a tough journey, but in time, they reach the Castle in the Air and bring back Rhyme and Reason to the Kingdom of Wisdom. After all the tribulations and adventures, Milo must return home, where he has learned that adventures are to be had anywhere, it is just up to him. Throughout the novel, Juster suggests the theme that one should never confuse …show more content…
In the end of “A Very Dirty Bird,” Juster uses the description of the Terrible Trivium, who represents procrastination, to demonstrate the theme that one should never confuse movement with action. As Milo, Tock, and the Humbug are travelling along their path, they notice “…a very elegant-looking gentleman. [That]…was beautifully dressed in a…suit…His shoes were polished, his nails were clean, [and] his hat was well brushed…” (208, 209). Juster uses the description of the symbol of the Terrible Trivium to show that distractions appear harmless at face value, which lead to confusing movements that only translate into busy-work and not meaningful action. Next, in the chapter “Unwelcoming Committee,” Juster uses the actions of Milo to explain his theme that one should never confuse movement with action. After many hours, if not days, Milo thinks that he should find out just how much time he and the others are wasting so he “took the…[magic staff that the Mathmagician gave him] from his pocket and quickly calculated that, at the rate they were working, it would take each of them eight hundred and thirty-seven years to finish” (212). This shows that, unless