Riddley Walker Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1 Summary

Riddley Walker opens at a crux in the young man's life. He is twelve years old and it is his naming day, an occasion similar to a present-day Bar Mitzvah or other contemporary rite of passage. At twelve, Riddley is expected to behave as a man. The day begins ambivalently with Riddley spearing and killing what may well be the very last wild boar in Inland. On their way home, the hunting/foraging group passes the red-clad chard coal (charcoal) burners, and is met with a hand sign meant to ward off evil. The pink and red alder tree stumps and the red jumpers of the chard coal men contrast with the day's grey girzel (drizzle). Passing this crimson scene, Riddley tells a story called "The Hart of the Wood" that explains how charcoal came about and why it is described as the "heart," or "hart," of the wood. The story...
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