Chapter 8
From Riddley Walker Annotations
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- (Eusa show: Mr. Clevver and the iron hat)
- Goodparley, Orfing, and Riddley enact the ritual at the center of both religious and political life in their society, the Eusa show. As will be immediately clear to British readers and less so to others, the Eusa show is directly descended from Punch and Judy; but where Punch mainly celebrated mayhem (as seen in Chapter 14), each Eusa show is designed to teach a spiritual lesson and, with varying degrees of subtlety, support government policy. In this case, the show announces a radical new view of the Eusa Story: Eusa was not wrong to seek knowledge, because the disaster was all Mr. Clevver's fault. Riddley, as the settlement's connexion man, opens the show with a traditional call and response.