49 pages 1 hour read

Robert Cormier

I Am the Cheese

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1977

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Chapters 7-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary

Adam is still on his bike journey. At the bottom of the hill, a silent German shepherd guards an empty house. Adam feels like the dog knew he was coming, and he rides his bike directly at the dog. As the dog tries to get in front of the bike, a yellow Volkswagen speeds by and almost hits Adam. The dog runs after the Volkswagen, and Adam bikes through the bare Main Street, feeling like the dog will always be after him.

Chapter 8 Summary

In the transcript, Adam asks Brint if he’s a doctor and if they are in a hospital. Brint is evasive, and Adam admits the place doesn’t smell like a hospital—perhaps it’s a “private home” or “private sanitorium.” Adam doesn’t know, and he feels there are many things he doesn’t know. Brint wants to help him know more and returns to the “clues.” Adam hesitantly concedes that the dog might be a clue. This morning, Adam saw a dog on the grass. Brint identifies the dog as Silver—a German shepherd. Silver is good, but Adam hates dogs.

Adam’s dad was an insurance agent and had a routine life. He had glasses, a mustache, a new car every two years, and a Rotary Club membership.