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1-Page Summary of Soul of An Octopus
Overall Summary
In the book, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery explores her experiences with several octopuses and their intelligence. She gives examples of how they have unique personalities and form bonds with humans. Throughout the book she explains the physiology and behaviors of these creatures in detail.
The author describes her interactions with an octopus named Athena at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. She is fascinated by what she learns about octopuses, which are different from popular culture’s stereotypes and myths. After only a few visits to the aquarium, however, Athena unexpectedly dies. The aquarium acquires a new octopus named Octavia who warms up to Montgomery after some time. Montgomery accompanies Octavia’s keeper when he feeds her and interacts with the young octopus through touch because an octopus’ arms contain many of its neurons and each arm almost has a brain of its own that allows it to taste things as well as analyze chemicals. This is how Octavia gets to know people better.
Montgomery leaves the aquarium for her book tour and when she returns, Octavia seems to be aging. Octopuses only live a few years. The aquarium acquires another young octopus named Kali who is about the same age as Bill. Montgomery meets several people at the aquarium including Wilson who becomes friends with her and teaches her more about Kali.
Octavia lays eggs at the end of summer. The female octopus guards them so carefully that she slowly starves to death after her eggs hatch. Montgomery takes lessons in scuba diving and goes on a trip to the Caribbean Sea, where she can observe octopuses in their natural habitat. Shortly after returning, just before Christmas, they move Kali into a new tank because her old one was too small for her anymore. However, they find her dead on the floor in front of it; she had squeezed herself out through a tiny space where water was being pumped into the tank by accident.
In January, a new octopus named Karma takes over. She’s the next subject for Montgomery’s study. The author is curious about these animals and considers them friends; she mourned when Kali died. Octavia enters senescence in the spring, abandoning her eggs and wandering around at the bottom of her tank. Her body also begins to give out so Bill moves her into Karma’s smaller tank (which she’s growing out of) and swaps Karma into Octavia’s larger one. Montgomery gets another chance to interact with Octavia before she dies a few weeks later.
The book concludes with her returning to the aquarium and visiting her octopuses. She also continues observing them, as well as doing research on whether they have consciousness and a soul.
Chapter 1: “Athena: Encountering the Mind of a Mollusk”
In the first chapter, Montgomery describes her initial interaction with Athena at the New England Aquarium in Boston. She is accompanied by Scott Dowd, a staff member at the aquarium.
Early in the chapter, Montgomery describes how octopuses are portrayed in Western culture. They’re often depicted as evil sea monsters. However, she says that they’re actually quite beautiful and docile creatures. Though their bodies aren’t similar to humans at all, they have a lot of intelligence and can change shapes quickly.
Although scientists have proven that octopuses have personalities, it remains controversial. Scientists are reluctant to believe that animals even have personalities, let alone thoughts and feelings. The author is careful not to anthropomorphize the octopus but finds herself being led in a new direction by her experience with Athena.
