A Child Called It: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Shortly before entering the fifth grade, Dave decides that there is no God: he’s convinced that no God would let Mother beat him. On the surface, Dave has learned to appear calm and emotionless, even when Mother beats him, but deep down, he hates Mother. He no longer dreams about being Superman, flying away from his misery. The words “hope” and “faith” have no meaning for him. He’s become so desperate for survival that he doesn’t care about humiliating himself—if necessary he’ll eat half-eaten scraps out of the garbage can. There is so little joy in Dave’s life that he becomes jealous and angry when he hears the sounds of other kids playing in the sun.

Dave thinks about killing Mother, and making her feel his pain and loneliness. He also despises Father for being a coward and failing to protect him from Mother. Sometimes, when Mother argues with Father, she forces Dave to repeat Father’s words from previous arguments. Dave understands that Mother is trying to turn Father against him. Meanwhile, Dave has ceased to feel any familial connection with his brothers. They take turns hitting him, and think of him as the “family slave.” Dave has no love for anyone in his life—hate is the only emotion he has left. He even hates himself for being too weak and frightened to stand up to Mother.

At school, Dave’s classmates bully and tease him. A girl named Aggie regularly tells him to “drop dead,” and complains that he smells awful. In the fifth grade, when Dave and his classmates take a field trip to a San Francisco clipper ship, Dave walks to the bow of the ship, and Aggie whispers, “I know all about you Pelzer, and jumping is your only way out.” Aggie’s friend John agrees and urges Dave to jump off the ship. Dave feels a powerful urge to jump, but his “better senses” keep him from doing so.

In fifth grade, Dave’s teacher is Mr. Ziegler. Unlike some of the other teachers, Ziegler makes an effort to treat Dave like a “normal kid,” not a “problem kid.” After Dave wins a competition to come up with a catchy slogan for the school newspaper, Ziegler makes a point of praising Dave, and even writes Mother a letter complimenting Dave. Mother reads the letter and laughs derisively. She tells Dave that she hates him, and adds, “You are a nobody! An It!” Even though he’s used to Mother’s cruelty, Dave is stunned—he can sense that Mother isn’t being mean to him simply because she’s drinking—she sincerely and deeply despises Dave. In this moment, Dave wishes that he could die.

In the coming weeks, Dave begins doing his chores more and more carelessly. He wants Mother to know “I didn’t care anymore.” Once, when Mother takes Dave to a grocery store, he shouts and acts out; later, Mother hits Dave, and gets her other children to hit him, too. Back at home, she mixes ammonia and Clorox and forces Dave to clean the bathroom with the door closed. Dave stays in the bathroom until he feels that he’s going to faint. Afterwards, Dave stops rebelling.

The only thing that keeps Dave sane is his baby brother Kevin, who he loves. Shortly before Mother gives birth to Kevin, she tries to choke Dave, and Dave fights back by kicking Mother in the stomach. Mother hisses that Dave has given her baby a birth defect. After Kevin is born, Dave isn’t allowed to see Kevin often, but whenever he does, he feels calm and happy. But deep down, Dave is frightened that one day Kevin will grow up to hate him, just like his other brothers do.

As the holiday season approaches, Mother argues with her own mother on the phone, and then takes out her anger on Dave. She also yells at Father, calling him a “drunken loser,” and even bans him from the house for a few days. On the day that Father is supposed to come home, Mother prepares a big meal and spends hours fixing her hair and makeup. Father shows up with a friend from work, and they’re both very drunk. Dave realizes that Father has come home to pack some things—he packs and then walks out the door. As he leaves, Father tells Dave, “The whole thing, You mother, this house, you. I just can’t take it anymore … I’m sorry.”

That year, for Thanksgiving, Father comes to the house and Mother allows Dave to eat with the rest of the family. The dinner is silent and sad. Afterwards, Mother and Father get into a loud argument. By Christmas, they’re fighting more often than they ever have. Shortly after Christmas, Mother packs the last of Father’s things and takes them to a motel, where Father will be staying. Dave realizes that his parents are separating. Mother takes Dave and his brothers to say goodbye to Father, but forces Dave to wait in the car. Before Mother drives away, Father goes down to Dave and gives him a package—information “for a book report.” Dave sees the sadness in Father’s eyes, but also feels jealous of him for escaping from Mother. As Mother drives away, Dave begins to cry. In this moment, he hates God. Mother sneers, “You are all mine now. Too bad your father’s not here to protect you.”

As Mother drives home, Dave clasps his hands together and silently prays. As the car pulls into the driveway, he ends his prayer, “… and deliver me from evil. Amen.”