Chapter 36 Summary: Escape and Perjury

⚠️ 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

Kit Clitheroe visits Spade's mill to persuade him to buy another Jacquard loom. Spade explains that while the loom works well, he won't invest until the war ends because Luddite attacks frighten customers. Kit is disheartened; his own business has stalled due to the same fear. He returns home to find Roger Riddick brooding over a gambling debt of ninety-four pounds to Sport Culliver. Sport arrives demanding payment, threatening to send thugs Frogeye and Bull if Roger fails. Unable to pay, Kit and Roger decide to join the Royal Artillery as a way to escape. Meanwhile, Sal and her brother Jarge Box close up Kit's house; Frogeye and Bull seek Roger, but Jarge confronts them and they retreat. Jarge then appears at the March quarter sessions, charged with machine breaking. The prosecution presents two witnesses: Maisie Roberts, who claims she saw Jarge near Crocket's Mill during the bell-ringing alibi, and Marie Dodds, who says Sal could ring the bells. Sal testifies and lies under oath, stating Jarge never left the rope room. Despite her perjury, the grand jury commits Jarge to the assize court.

Key Events

Kit fails to secure a new order from Spade because of the war and Luddite fears.
Roger reveals a large gambling debt to Sport Culliver.
Sport Culliver threatens Roger with violence from Frogeye and Bull.
Kit and Roger decide to join the Royal Artillery together.
Sal and Jarge pack up Kit's belongings; Frogeye and Bull come looking for Roger but are driven off by Jarge.
Jarge stands trial at the March quarter sessions for machine breaking.
Sheriff Doye presents witnesses Maisie Roberts and Marie Dodds.
Sal commits perjury to provide Jarge with an alibi.
The grand jury commits Jarge to the assize court.

Character Development

Kit Clitheroe is forced to confront the limits of his ingenuity. His earlier confidence in expanding the machine business gives way to demoralization. When he learns of Roger's debt, his immediate instinct is to protect his lover, leading him to a drastic decision: enlist in the army. This choice marks a shift from passive frustration to active flight.

Roger Riddick’s vulnerability deepens. He is ashamed of breaking his promise to stop gambling and feels he has let Kit down. His suggestion to join the artillery reveals a streak of self-destructive pragmatism—he would rather risk death than face his creditor’s enforcers.

Sal Box emerges as a fierce protector. Despite her anger at Jarge for causing the crisis through machine breaking, she lies under oath without hesitation to save him from the gallows. Her quick thinking during cross-examination shows a sharp, if morally compromised, intelligence.

Jarge Box remains defiant. He confronts Frogeye and Bull verbally, and later in court he uses his wits to challenge witnesses, but his guilt is never truly in doubt. The chapter underscores his willingness to risk everything for the Luddite cause.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Luddism and economic desperation drive the personal crises. Kit cannot sell machines because clothiers fear Luddite reprisals; Jarge is on trial for smashing them. The cycle of violence and fear undermines livelihoods.

Gambling as self-destruction mirrors the reckless risk-taking of the Luddites. Roger’s secret debt forces Kit to abandon the business he built, just as Jarge’s sabotage threatens his own freedom.

Perjury and loyalty form the moral dilemma of the chapter. Sal lies to save her brother, knowing it is a sin and a crime. The trial scene questions whether justice can survive when ordinary people are forced to choose between truth and love.

Military enlistment as escape provides an ironic resolution: the men who sought to destroy machines now flee to an army that will use them to destroy other machines—and people.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter sets several major plotlines in motion. Kit and Roger’s departure for the army removes two central characters from Kingsbridge, altering the story’s geography and raising stakes for their survival. Sal’s perjury places her in legal jeopardy, while Jarge’s commitment to the assize court leaves his fate hanging. The chapter also crystallizes the novel’s critique of a justice system that relies on coerced testimony and bribed witnesses, and it shows how the Luddite conflict strains personal bonds.

3 Specific Study Questions and Answers

Why does Kit decide to join the Royal Artillery instead of finding another way to pay Roger’s debt?
Kit has no money—his business is stalled and his savings are insufficient. He believes that trying to defend Roger from Frogeye and Bull would be futile. The army offers immediate escape, and Kit cannot bear to live without Roger, so he chooses to accompany him.
How does Sal’s testimony in court reflect the tension between justice and loyalty?
Sal lies under oath to save Jarge from hanging. She knows lying is wrong, but she prioritizes her brother’s life over truth. Her hesitation when asked if she would commit perjury shows she is aware of the moral cost, yet she acts anyway, revealing how extreme circumstances force ordinary people to break the law.
What role does the character of Hornbeam play in the quarter sessions?
Hornbeam presides as chairman of justices. He directs the grand jury to consider whether there is enough evidence for trial, emphasizing that they are not deciding guilt. His presence reinforces the class structure: he is a mill owner who benefits from the machines Jarge broke, so his impartiality is questionable.