Later Chapter 38: The Ritual of Chüd and Its Lasting Impact
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Now twenty-two and living in what he calls “the land of later,” Jamie Conklin looks back on his crucial meeting with Professor Martin Burkett when he was thirteen. Desperate to escape the haunting presence of Kenneth Therriault (Thumper), Jamie listened as the professor described a Tibetan Buddhist ritual called chüd. Burkett claimed the practice involved two beings biting each other’s tongues in a battle of wills, and that it was used to defeat yetis as well as supernatural demons. Years later, while writing an anthropology paper, Jamie discovered that only half of Burkett’s tale was historically accurate; the rest was pure invention. Yet he credits the professor with saving his sanity – and possibly his life – by giving him a symbolic weapon against his tormentor. Jamie notes the irony that his own uncle Harry was mentally declining in his forties while eighty‑year‑old Burkett remained creatively sharp. The chapter ends with Jamie reflecting on how little he believes now compared to his thirteen‑year‑old self, but he expresses no regret.
Key Events
- Jamie, now 22, introduces his current perspective, noting he can vote, drive, buy alcohol, and plans to quit smoking.
- He recalls that Professor Burkett’s Ritual of Chüd was later revealed to be half true (the Tibetan Buddhist origins) and half fabricated (the yeti story).
- The professor explained that chüd involved two beings biting each other’s tongues to bind wills; the first to withdraw lost all power over the other.
- Jamie initially reacted with disgust, thinking the professor wanted him to literally kiss the dead Therriault.
- Burkett clarified that the tongue‑biting was symbolic, comparing it to the bread and wine of communion.
- Jamie, despite his skepticism as an adult, acknowledges that Burkett’s “magic” saved his mental health at a desperate time.
Character Development
Jamie Conklin: The chapter shows Jamie’s maturation. At 22, he is more skeptical and worldly, but he retains gratitude for the intervention that protected his sanity. His reflection on “believing less” signals a loss of innocence, yet he does not resent the professor’s deception.
Professor Martin Burkett: Although not present in the scene, his character is developed through Jamie’s retrospective analysis. Burkett is portrayed as creative, manipulative, and caring – he invented a myth to help a boy in crisis, even in his eighties. The contrast with Uncle Harry’s decline highlights Burkett’s vitality.
Kenneth Therriault (Thumper): Remains an off‑page threat, the demon that Jamie needed a ritual to confront. His persistent haunting is the catalyst for the professor’s story.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Belief vs. Truth: Jamie directly contrasts what he believed at thirteen with what he later learned to be factual. The chapter argues that a useful fiction can be as powerful as truth when it serves a desperate need.
Symbolic Tongue‑Biting: The ritual’s central act is reinterpreted from a literal grotesque image into a metaphor for willpower. Burkett’s comparison to Christian communion underlines how symbols can carry psychological reality.
Age and Creativity: Jamie notes that Burkett, despite being in his eighties, could still invent effectively, while his own uncle Harry was mentally compromised before fifty. Age alone does not predict mental sharpness or creative capacity.
The Land of Later: Jamie’s phrase for adulthood captures the novel’s thematic interest in delayed consequences and the retrospective understanding of past events.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 38 provides a crucial perspective shift. Until now, the Ritual of Chüd was presented as a literal solution; this chapter reveals it as a therapeutic fabrication. The revelation changes how readers interpret Jamie’s earlier encounter and deepens the novel’s exploration of how people cope with the supernatural. It also establishes Jamie’s mature voice, linking the past trauma to his present understanding. Without this chapter, the professor’s role might seem purely whimsical; with it, his intervention becomes more poignant and complex.
Study Questions & Answers
1. What does Jamie reveal about the truth of the Ritual of Chüd?
Half of what Professor Burkett said was historically accurate: Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhists did practice a ritual called chüd for spiritual clarity. The yeti story and the tongue‑biting combat with demons were invented.
2. How does Jamie’s age at twenty‑two affect his view of the professor’s tale?
He now believes less than he did at thirteen and recognizes the story as bullshit, yet he acknowledges that Burkett’s invention served its purpose. The chapter emphasizes that his desperation made him accept the fiction wholeheartedly.
3. Why does Jamie call the professor’s story bullshit but still credit him?
Jamie credits Burkett because the creative lie provided a framework for Jamie to confront his terror and restored his sanity. The ritual gave him a sense of agency against Therriault, which was more important than literal truth.