Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
"Riddley Walker" is a novel set in a post-apocalyptic England grappling with the remnants of a civilization destroyed by nuclear war. The protagonist, a twelve-year-old boy named Riddley Walker, navigates a society focused on reclaiming its lost glory, ironically through the very technology that led to its downfall: the atomic bomb. As Riddley embarks on a journey filled with mystical encounters, he becomes the central figure in a puppet show known as the "Eusa Show," which allegorically explores the myths of his culture and the catastrophic events that occurred.
Throughout the narrative, Riddley is pursued by the ruling party's leader, Abel Goodparley, who seeks to extract knowledge from the remnants of the "Puter Leat"—the descendants of the old technological elite. However, Riddley increasingly finds himself at odds with Goodparley's ruthless methods and the oppressive nature of power. His journey leads him to a deeper understanding of his world, its past, and the complexities of leadership and survival. Ultimately, Riddley's story reflects themes of hope and resilience amidst despair, as he transforms his experiences into his own telling of the Eusa Story, underscoring the tension between power and morality.
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Subject Terms
Riddley Walker
First published: 1980
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—post-holocaust
Time of work: About c.e. 4500
Locale: England
The Plot
Riddley Walker concerns the efforts of leaders in post-holocaust England to recapture what they perceive to be the glories of civilization destroyed by what the reader knows to have been nuclear war. Unfortunately, the leaders do not realize what the reader knows, and their efforts to reclaim past glories focus, ironically, on reconstructing the invention that led to the destruction of civilization: the atomic bomb. The novel’s young hero, Riddley Walker, must decide what part he will play in these efforts.
The novel begins with Riddley, as a twelve-year-old member of a hunting party, killing a wild boar that seems about to throw itself on Riddley’s spear. This is the first but not last of the almost mystical phenomena associated with Riddley. It is this aura of specialness that causes Abel Goodparley, leader of the ruling party, to seek out Riddley to be the new “Eusa man,” a traveling performer who puts on the “Eusa Show.” This puppet show contains the culture’s prime myth and tells the story—in allegorical terms—of how the old glorious culture was destroyed. Riddley also is sought out by a mysterious pack of wild dogs who seem intent on leading him away from Goodparley and toward some unknown end.
Not quite willingly, he follows the dogs, who lead him to the Ardship of Cambry, an eyeless boy living in the ruins of a once-great city. His Ardship and other young maimed men much like himself apparently are descendants of the Puter Leat (computer elite). Goodparley believes them to have knowledge of the “1 Big 1,” a marvelous invention of the past of which Goodparley and his colleagues have only a vague sense but that the reader realizes is the atomic bomb. Periodically, Goodparley draws his Puter Leat together to try to coax information from them by various means, ultimately by torture and murder.
Riddley is not strong or wise enough to save the hapless Ardship. Instead, he finds himself increasingly in danger as he wanders about the countryside, gaining insight into Goodparley and his motives, his world, and its past.
When Riddley decides to keep rather than turn over to Goodparley a sack of yellow stones (sulfur) that supposedly have some mysterious power, he becomes, in effect, a fugitive. Even though Goodparley himself soon falls victim to colleagues even more ruthless than he, Riddley’s troubles are not over. By the end, Riddley is still a wanderer, still a fugitive, and now suspicious of the very concept of power but telling his version of the Eusa Story, a version as grim as the truth but containing the seeds of hope.