When he was 6 years old, the narrator read a book about the jungle and was inspired to draw a picture based on a photo within it. He inserts the photo and the drawing into the text, explaining that both depict a boa constrictor swallowing its prey whole. However, when he showed his drawing to some adults and asked if they were frightened, they were confused, because they mistook the snake for a hat. He therefore drew a second picture, this time showing the elephant inside the snake, but "[t]he grown-ups advised [him] to put away [his] drawings of boa constrictors, outside or inside, and apply [him]self instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar" (2).

The narrator explains that this experience was so frustrating to him that he "abandoned, at the age of six, a magnificent career as an artist" (2). Eventually, he became a pilot instead, which at least allowed him to put his knowledge of geography to good use. However, his job has also brought him in contact with many "serious people" (2), and his opinion of grown-ups hasn't changed much over time. He explains that when he meets someone who strikes him as "at all enlightened," he produces the first drawing he drew of the boa constrictor to see if the person "really underst[ands] anything" (3).