45 pages • 1 hour read
John ChristopherThe White Mountains
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1967A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “Flight and a Follower”
Will tells Henry and Beanpole about his departure from the castle and his encounter with the Tripod, although he avoids mentioning his tender feelings for Eloise. Before continuing their journey, Will sets Aristide free since the horse would only draw attention to them. When Henry makes some bitter remarks toward Will, Beanpole scolds him.
Over the next few days, they walk over a pass and then along a river. Somewhat out of shape, Will becomes quite sore. They also encounter a second, manmade river with levees that regulate water levels, which Beanpole finds fascinating. They pass through a relatively wild area and into a broad, fertile valley where they struggle to find food other than potatoes since most of the farms are protected by dogs.
One day after the end of the tournament, according to Will’s calculation, the boys eat the remnants of a feast after the inhabitants of a farmhouse leave to attend a worship service. Will feels guilty for stealing the food but reminds himself that they are “at war […] indirectly with all those who support” the Tripods (179).
When a Tripod stops about a mile away, the boys hurry ahead on their journey. The next morning, they again spot the Tripod nearby. In the evening, they stop to rest in a hut at the intersection of three vineyards. However, they leave the hut to sleep in a ditch after Henry spots a Tripod only half a mile away.
When they spot the Tripod not far behind them around noon the next day, they decide to travel through a nearby forest, hoping to avoid the Tripod. After spending a night in the forest, they return to open country the next day.
After cresting a ridge, the boys observe the White Mountains, now visible in the distance. Suddenly, they hear the sound of a Tripod nearby. Beanpole realizes that the Tripod is able to follow them even when it cannot see them and speculates that it wants to find out where they are going. They spend the night in a pine grove.
Chapter 9 Summary: “We Fight a Battle”
The next morning, Will, Henry, and Beanpole move westward through a foggy valley. When the fog lifts, they spot the Tripod not far behind them. In the afternoon, they begin to climb out of the valley, pausing only to eat some wild horseradish.
That evening, when Will lays down to rest, Henry spots a small, metallic, button-like protrusion under Will’s arm where his shirt was torn open while climbing. Beanpole suggests that the button, which fits seamlessly into Will’s skin, is made of the same metal as the Caps. Henry concludes that Will must be under the Tripods’ control, but Beanpole points out that the button is not connected to Will’s brain and may be a simple tracking device. Beanpole adds that Will may have been hypnotized by the Tripod to prevent him from noticing the button sooner.
Will offers to separate from the others and lead the Tripod away from them. Instead, Beanpole suggests they remove the button. As Henry holds Will’s arm in place and Will bites on a strap of leather, Beanpole uses a knife to cut the button out. The operation is painful, and Will bleeds a lot, but he insists on moving forward almost immediately afterward. Beanpole is sorry to leave the small but intricate button behind since he finds it fascinating.
A while later, as they climb through rough country, they hear a “hideous warbling” coming from the Tripod, which soon appears behind them, moving quickly. As the sun sets, they hide in a clump of bushes and speculate that the Tripod must have realized they removed Will’s button.
When the Tripod begins pulling out the bushes near them, they realize they have no choice but to fight it. Beanpole gives one exploding metal egg each to Will and Henry, keeping two for himself. Henry and Beanpole manage to detonate theirs near one of the Tripod’s legs, but the explosions cause no damage.
Will is about to run when one of the Tripod’s tentacles wraps around him and lifts him into the air toward an opening in the Tripod’s hemisphere-shaped cabin. Will tosses his metal egg into the opening, where it explodes. The Tripod stops moving and releases Will.
Chapter 10 Summary: “The White Mountains”
Fearing that the Tripod may have called others to help before it died, the three boys immediately continue their ascent toward the White Mountains. Reaching the top of a ridge, they see three Tripods approaching in the distance. As night falls, they continue into the next valley, which offers little cover.
Using projected beams of light, several Tripods begin to search the valley for the boys. Not wanting to leave tracks, the boys wade through a shallow stream. Seeing Tripods on multiple sides, Henry suggests they split up and run. At Beanpole’s suggestion, however, they take cover in a small crevice under a large rock beside the stream.
As the search continues, dozens of Tripods pass nearby, but the boys remain hidden throughout the night and into the next day. A few times, when no Tripods are near, they emerge from the crevice to stretch for a few minutes, but they return to the crevice at the first sign of a Tripod. They then spend a second night in the crevice, as Will’s arm continues to hurt where Bean removed the tracking device. After spending the next day mostly in the crevice, they finally decide to continue their journey around nightfall, though they are weak and hungry.
Over the next few days, they continue their journey, foraging for roots and berries. When Will’s arm becomes infected where Beanpole removed the tracking device, Beanpole cuts it again and wraps it in herbs; Henry offers his sympathy, which Will appreciates.
Eventually, they come to a plain bordering an enormous lake, which is marked on the map. As they enjoy food and rest, Will’s arm begins to heal, and they see the White Mountains to the south. As they are crossing a plain, however, they are surprised by the approach of two Tripods marching side by side, their tentacles interlocked. To their surprise, the Tripods pass them without noticing them, and Beanpole speculates that they are engaged in some “ritual of mating” (225).
Sometime later, the three boys arrive at the White Mountains, where they are surprised to discover a secret society living in tunnels inside the mountains, where a railway was built by the ancients. Although the journey was difficult and their lives in the mountains are not comfortable, Will is glad he made the effort since he now possesses “freedom, and hope” (227). Will, Henry, and Beanpole plan to do all they can to overthrow the Tripods and reclaim the earth for humanity.
Chapters 8-10 Analysis
In this section, the plot hurtles toward the climax, with the boys fighting and defeating one Tripod before being pursued by dozens more. As is typical of young adult adventure novels, the conclusion features action and suspense, including a cat-and-mouse chase between the Tripods and the boys. The ending, while not exactly a cliffhanger, points the way forward to the sequels, as Will and his companions turn their attention from their own survival to the broader question of liberating humanity.
The White Mountains take on added significance in this section, becoming a symbol of hope and purpose. At various points, the mountains rise into and out of visibility, with each appearance of the mountains accompanied by an increase in hope and optimism. At times when the mountains are out of sight, by contrast, it is easier for Will and the others to feel discouraged. The distance and height of the mountains match the loftiness of the boys’ goals, serving as a constant reminder of their overarching purpose. Although these mountains are not identified by any other name, from the geographical context clues throughout the text, it is clear that they are the Alps, which are some of the highest and most famous mountains in Europe. The placement of the anti-Tripod community in such impressive terrain, far above the Tripods’ reach, implies that human ingenuity matches and, in some cases, exceeds that of the Tripods.
The theme of Freedom Versus Security continues to develop in this section. Notably, Will comes to the realization that, in the war against the Tripods, no one is truly neutral. Although he has qualms about stealing food from the farmhouse, he realizes that those who live there are, in fact, agents of the Tripods. Seeking freedom, then, is a struggle that touches all aspects of life and often requires major sacrifices, as when Will agrees to let Beanpole cut the tracking device out of his arm, no matter how painful the procedure. Symbolically, Will’s surgery to remove the tracking device indicates the necessity of cutting all ties with the Tripods as a prerequisite to obtaining true freedom. Perhaps most trying of all is the extended period of time the boys spend hidden in a small crevice in a rock, hiding from the Tripods swarming around them. At this point, the boys give up all but their most basic freedoms, the freedom of thinking and breathing, rather than willingly fall under the Tripods’ control. When Will reflects on their journey as they arrive at the White Mountains, he has no regrets, suggesting that securing his freedom was more than worth the discomforts and challenges he faces.
The section also sees Christopher continue his exploration of Bonding Through Adversity. Early on, some resentment lingers between Henry and Will, but when Henry witnesses the extent of Will's pain, his bitterness turns to sympathy. Will finds Henry's kindness to be a significant and meaningful source of strength and comfort. Meanwhile, although Henry suggests in fear that they split up to run away from the Tripods on certain occasions, Beanpole plays a key role in directing their efforts to defeat the isolated Tripod and then evade its allies, showing that the three boys are able to display the strength, courage, and resourcefulness as a group that they would lack individually. Thus, although Will and Henry tend to bicker during lighter moments, they find their alliance strengthened as they face significant challenges together.
This section continues to add to readers' understanding of the mysterious Tripods. The death of the Tripod shows that they are powerful but not invincible. The appearance of a mating pair, meanwhile, suggests that the highly mechanical Tripods likely also have a biological component, which is further explored in the sequels. Finally, the boys' successful attempt to hide from the searching Tripods serves as a reminder that, powerful as they are, the Tripods are strangers on Earth, whereas the boys have a more intuitive grasp of the earth's terrain and potential hiding spots. The implication is that the Tripods, as outsiders, have imposed an unnatural and imbalanced state on Earth, which Will and his companions set out to correct, just as they use the natural challenges of ascending the White Mountains to their advantage as a natural defense against the Tripods.
Christopher also revisits The Wonder of Human Ingenuity in the novel's closing pages. Will is particularly impressed by the physical structures built in the past that enable them to inhabit the White Mountains in the present. He reflects, "[T]here are wonders, of which our new home itself is the greatest" (226). In this context, human ingenuity and resourcefulness are not just things of the past. Rather, they are increasingly apparent in the plans and activities of those who plot to overthrow the Tripods.
