The Octopus · Chapter
Chapter VII explained
In the aftermath of the violent confrontation at the irrigating ditch, the chapter details the tragic consequences: Annixter, Harran, Broderson, Hooven, and Dabney are dead; Osterman is dying.
What happens
In the aftermath of the violent confrontation at the irrigating ditch, the chapter details the tragic consequences: Annixter, Harran, Broderson, Hooven, and Dabney are dead; Osterman is dying. Hilma Tree, upon hearing distant gunfire, insists on going to Hooven's, discovering her home at Quien Sabe has been ransacked and her belongings desecrated. She suffers a miscarriage that night. Presley, overwhelmed by the horror, writes furiously in his journal, condemning the Railroad and S. Behrman, drawing parallels to the American Revolution and warning of the nationwide struggle against corporate trusts.
Themes in this chapter
Violence and Revolution
The chapter culminates in the deadly shootout at the irrigating ditch, with multiple deaths and Presley's revolutionary rhetoric calling for resistance against the Railroad.
Corporate Oppression
The Railroad's eviction of Hilma and the Dykes, the looting of Hilma's home, and S. Behrman's triumph highlight the oppressive power of corporate interests.
Love and Loss
Hilma's grief over Annixter's death and her miscarriage underscore the personal tragedies wrought by the conflict.
Characters to notice
- Presley
Witnesses the aftermath of the battle, spends the night writing in his journal, consumed by rage and grief.
- Hilma Tree
Discovers her home looted and her belongings destroyed; suffers a miscarriage later that night.
- Annixter
Killed in the fight at the irrigating ditch; his body is taken to Los Muertos.
- Harran Derrick
Killed in the fight; his body is placed in a wagon alongside Annixter's.
- Magnus Derrick
Grieves for his son Harran but offers shelter to Hilma and the Dykes at Los Muertos.
- S. Behrman
Mentioned as alive and successful, having taken possession of Quien Sabe after the battle.
Key passages
“I’ve been wrong all the time. The League is wrong. All the world is wrong. You are the only one of us all who is right. I’m with you from now on. By God, I too, I’m a Red!”
A character admits their previous beliefs were mistaken, declares solidarity with a radical perspective, and identifies as a revolutionary.
This outburst reflects the radicalization of a character in the wake of the violence.
“To Hilma it was as though something of herself, of her person, had been thus exposed and degraded; all that she held sacred pilloried, gibbeted, and exhibited to the world’s derision.”
Hilma feels personally violated and shamed by the destruction and public display of her household belongings.
The looting of Hilma's home symbolizes the violation of her private life and dignity.
“Yet it is Lexington—God help us, God enlighten us, God rouse us from our lethargy—it is Lexington; farmers with guns in their hands fighting for Liberty.”
Presley compares the farmers' armed stand against the Railroad to the opening battle of the American Revolution, calling for national awakening.
This historical analogy frames the conflict as a fundamental struggle for freedom.