41 pages • 1-hour read
Kneeknock Rise
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Themes
The Need for Mystery in Everyday Life
Kneeknock Rise explores the human longing for mystery and the value of legend as essential to joy, belief, and imagination. Early in the narrative, the setting itself embodies this idea. The mysterious Kneeknock Rise looms over the town of Instep and acts as both a geographical landmark of the setting and a symbol of the town’s culture and identity. The narrator describes the allure of the landscape for the villagers: “Here lay the heart of the mountains’ charm; here, like Eve’s forbidden fruit, dwelt their mystery, for good or evil” (4). The comparison to forbidden fruit suggests that the mystery of the mountain is both tempting and dangerous, much like the pursuit of knowledge itself.
The townspeople do not attempt to climb the mountain or investigate the origin of the Megrimum’s howling, reiterating the importance of the legend to their communal identity. They maintain the tradition of holding the fair at the mountain’s base, not to lessen fear, but to embrace it. For the people of Instep, the fear the Megrimum gives life a sense of fantastical possibility: “To all of them the cliff was the grandest, most terrible thing in the world. They trembled over it, whispered about it, and fed their hearts to bursting with gleeful terrors” (6). Their fear becomes a sacred aspect of who they are, and the mystery is an intrinsic part of their cultural makeup.
Uncle Ott’s philosophy and his outlook on the necessity of the Megrimum reiterate the central narrative tension between truth and belief. He intentionally chooses not to reveal the truth about the Megrimum, despite knowing it’s only a sulphur spring. He asks Egan, “Is it better to be wise if it makes you solemn and practical, or is it better to be foolish so you can go on enjoying yourself?” (87). Ott’s question emphasizes the value of mystery as a source of happiness, even if that mystery is imagined.
The poems written by Uncle Ott reinforce the idea that belief in a myth carries inherent value. One tells of a king who is educated and a fool who is ignorant, but it is the fool who is happy. Egan wonders which one Ott is, or if he is somehow both. Ott’s contentment, despite his knowledge of the truth, suggests that he has chosen to value wonder over certainty—a choice the townspeople have also made. When Egan attempts to tell them the truth, no one believes him, and while Egan suspects Uncle Anson may agree with him, his uncle never shows it outwardly. Babbitt’s story emphasizes that mystery is a vital part of the human experience. As one villager puts it, “It’s the knowing there’s something different, something special up there waiting. … A secret like that—well, it’s worth the keeping” (70). The notion is not that truth is harmful, but that some truths may cost more than they’re worth. Like belief in the Megrimum, some mysteries are more meaningful when left unsolved.
The Pain of Knowledge Versus the Comfort of Ignorance
One of the central philosophical conflicts in Kneeknock Rise is between the pursuit of truth and the preservation of happiness. Babbitt uses the characters of Egan and Uncle Ott to pose a difficult question that no one else in the town wants to ask. Both wonder whether the truth is worth the loss of joy that often comes with it, or if it is sometimes better to allow oneself to be blissfully ignorant, preserving comfort at the expense of knowledge. The story suggests that a lack of knowing can restore wonder, meaning, and excitement where truth often cannot.
Egan’s journey to the top of Kneeknock Rise mirrors a classic coming-of-age narrative or hero’s journey. He climbs the mountain driven by pride, curiosity, and a need to prove himself. What he finds is anticlimactic; there is no monster, just a sulphur spring that makes strange noises when steam builds up. Ott confirms this reality, explaining that the Megrimum is a legend and nothing more, but there is a power in legends that influences the town. Egan’s discovery of the truth doesn’t bring him satisfaction, largely because nobody else wants to see it. Instead, it creates a burden, leaving him alone with the truth.
Egan’s realization that knowledge does not always lead to happiness, but often to isolation or frustration, shakes his fundamental understanding of the world and defines his character arc. The town prefers the myth and the excitement of believing in the creature. Uncle Ott never reveals the truth, but Egan cannot help himself. As he reflects with Egan, Uncle Ott explains why: “Is it better to be wise if it makes you solemn and practical, or is it better to be foolish so you can go on enjoying yourself?” (87). Uncle Ott chooses the happiness that comes with preserving the mystery. Uncle Anson agrees with this philosophy. In his clock shop, he tells Egan that it doesn’t matter what’s true, because a skeptic cannot be convinced regardless, hinting that belief is more about a deep human need to imagine something more.
The broken wishbone Egan finds after returning from the mountain symbolizes the loss of innocence that comes with growing up and the accumulation of knowledge and understanding. Egan’s impending choice centers on how much of that innocence he wants to keep as he pursues maturity. He is given a new wishbone, suggesting a chance to choose mystery again, finding a balance between truth and belief. Through Egan’s journey, Babbitt suggests that happiness and meaning don’t exist in knowledge alone, but in understanding when to allow wonder and mysticism to prevail.
How Folklore Shapes Communities
Folklore is the foundation of the town of Instep’s shared sense of community and cultural identity. Legends like the Megrimum build a framework around which the people interpret their world, understand fear and other complex emotions, and connect to each other. The myth of the Megrimum unites the people of Instep and those from surrounding towns in a yearly celebration. Every year, they gather for the Instep Fair, not only for fun and entertainment but in hope of a storm so they can witness the mythical call of the Megrimum. This shared comfort and excitement in the mystery says a great deal about the Instep people. Their culture is shaped by a collective belief in something that might not even exist, but acts as a touchstone for both community and identity.
Folklore also dictates behavior and family relations throughout the narrative. Aunt Gertrude puts out wishbones and onions on the door to safeguard the house, cats are given special status as creatures revered by the Megrimum, and bells are used to ward off devils. Uncle Anson creates clocks, but one of these is seen by Aunt Gertrude as cursed and responsible for the events that follow. These superstitions are born from the shared belief in the Megrimum. When a visitor to Instep suggests the Mammoth Mountains aren’t big enough to be mountains, he’s threatened. The people defend the myth because it defines them. From the story’s opening lines, fear and community pride exist side by side. Babbitt defines the mountain as “frightful and fine and it belong[s to the people]. They [call] it Kneeknock Rise” (6). Uncle Anson’s philosophy reflects folklore’s power in the community of Instep. In the clock shop, he tells Egan that truth and fiction are often difficult to sort apart because belief has more power than fact. Egan’s discovery of the sulphur spring doesn’t change the community’s belief; instead, it reinforces it, and he unwittingly becomes part of the legend. When Egan’s rock explodes from the spring and the howling resumes, the family insists that it must be the Megrimum after all.
Babbitt draws on traditional European folklore structure in her story that explores how folklore shapes communities. She includes traditional folkloric elements such as a mysterious creature, a dangerous place (the mountains), and superstitious behaviors reminiscent of stories like the banshee of Irish myth (who also wails at night) or the will-o’-the-wisps of English folklore. They are unexplainable phenomena and part of the community. Other acclaimed works of modern literature for children reflect the ways that the folklore of a place shapes the lives of its people. In The Giver by Lois Lowry, the community’s identity depends on shared, invented memories and myths. Like Kneeknock Rise, the moment of truth threatens the very fabric of society. Folklore’s importance is not about whether something is real but whether it is meaningful. The story emphasizes the idea that communities need shared legends to define who they are, to confront what they fear, and to stay connected to one another.
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