Riddley Walker

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1980

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Horrors of the Past

A key theme in Riddley Walker is the characters’ attempts to deal with the horrors of the past. These horrors occur on an individual, a social, and a historical level. For individuals, life in the post-apocalyptic world is difficult. Violence is commonplace: Physical and sexual abuse occur on a regular basis, and packs of wild dogs lurk in the shadows waiting to attack anyone who dares venture far from their community. Riddley loses his mother at an early age and loses his father shortly after he turns 12, leaving him with no one to help guide him through the difficult world. The horrors of Riddley’s past manifest in his present. The loss of his father and mother leaves him with no ties to the community, so he disappears into the woods. Eventually, the horrors of Riddley’s past and the lack of any emotional relief become too much. Riddley breaks down in tears in the penultimate chapter of the novel, finally allowing himself to grieve for everyone he has lost and the pain he has endured. Only by accepting and confronting the horrors of his past is Riddley able to mature as a person.

The society also struggles to deal with the brutal past. A nuclear war has wiped out society and left the survivors with no idea of how to rebuild what has been lost. The ruins of the past function as thematic scars and reminders of humanity’s lost potential. Characters attempt to navigate the historical violence of the past by interpreting these ruins. Their interpretations shape society. A description of a painting, a set of puppets, and the lingering fragments of the historical record prompt the society to invent the Eusa mythology. The Eusa story is an attempt to impose order and understanding on a brutal past, though the audience becomes well aware of the limitations of Riddley’s society. Attempting to impose order on a horrific past is an attempt to alleviate trauma, but the reality of the post-apocalyptic world shows the dangers and the difficulties of doing so. Eventually, the Eusa story, the puppets, and the society’s rules only lead to more violence. Just like Riddley’s past trauma propels him into increasingly dangerous and violent situations, the society’s attempts to deal with the pain of the past lead to even more pain. The Eusa folk are tortured, Goodparley is blinded, and no one has a good solution to bring progress and technology back to the present.

Language as a Tool for Good or Evil

The distinctive prose style of Riddley Walker emphasizes the importance of language as a theme in the novel. Riddley is the narrator of the novel, demonstrating the way in which language elevates him above his social peers. He is taught to read and write from a young age, a skill which equips him with the ability to change the society in a way that others cannot. Riddley writes down his life’s story in an attempt to explain the unexplainable. While most people’s experiences are lost upon their death, or reworked into fables and anecdotes, Riddley is able to provide a detailed description of the changing nature of his community. He documents accomplishments, crimes, and philosophies, creating a new perspective on the world which he then shares through his puppet show. By learning how to wield language as a tool, Riddley and his distinctive prose style become a force for change. As a result, language is shown to be a powerful tool.

One of the few stories rewritten in exactly the same way is the Eusa story. The Eusa story is written in an older, more obtuse version of Riddley’s dialect. As a result, the story provides an additional point of comparison between Riddley’s broken, archaic English and the language of the past. Riddley’s use of language is more complex and refined; he uses more consistent spelling and more complicated syntax, illustrating the small ways in which society has evolved since the creation of the Eusa story. In this small way, language is used to chart the development of human history. Even though Riddley and his people seem somewhat primitive in their technological ability compared to the 20th century, Riddley’s use of language hints that their society has developed and grown since the nuclear war, suggesting that progress is possible in the violent, brutal world the characters inhabit.

Goodparley shares a document which describes a painting in a church, written in a 20th-century version of English, and Goodparley provides his analysis. The ironic commentary on the text is riddled with errors and misinterpretations which are clear to the audience but not clear to Riddley. The way in which language can be manipulated and misread is evident in Goodparley’s words, but the impact of this failure is dramatic. He tortures, kills, and plots based on these misinterpretations. Language is a powerful tool, one which can be wittingly or unwittingly used for evil purposes.

Wounds, Traumas, and Cycles of Violence

All of the characters in Riddley Walker are caught in cycles of violence. The same patterns repeat throughout their lives, inflicting the same old wounds on a new generation of people. An example of these violent cycles is the tendency to see auspicious signs everywhere. When Riddley kills a boar and a dog, people begin to notice his behavior. Riddley did not plan or organize either of these events—he was simply swept along in the moment. However, the other people in his community notice the way in which violence seems attracted to Riddley, so they begin to associate all violence with him. In doing so, they force Riddley to run away and expose himself to even more violence. Riddley becomes caught in a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies, in which his association with violence inevitably leads to even more violence.

These cycles affect everyone in the society. Like Riddley, Goodparley was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by an older man named Granser. Goodparley was bullied, abused, and raped by Granser, illustrating how the violence inflicted on Goodparley’s parents led to Goodparley getting caught in an even more violent situation. When Goodparley tried to murder Granser, he was perpetuating the same violence which was inflicted upon him. Later, Goodparley continued enacting violence with the brutal treatment of the Eusa folk. The pain that Granser caused Goodparley is turned around on an even more defenseless group of people, perpetuating a cycle of violence which then becomes institutionalized. The Eusa folk are treated so badly for so long that no one can truly remember why they are treated with such contempt, so myths are invented to justify the continued cycles of violence.

The mistreatment of the Eusa folk leads to an even wider cycle of violence being perpetuated. Even though the characters live in the aftermath of a brutal nuclear war, the Eusa folk believe that the only way to escape the violence is to develop the weapons which led to the war. Their attempts to make gunpowder kill them, as well as Granser and Goodparley. Characters are caught up in so many cycles of violence that the only escape they can imagine is to inflict more violence on others. As a result, the violence escalates and continues until everyone is dead.