The Blue Lagoon · Chapter
XVIII: The Rat Hunt explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Button entertains the children with sea shanties and stories after a feast, but his week-long drinking binge leads to delirium tremens, causing him to hallucinate rats and a horse, which the children treat as a game.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the protagonis…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Isolation and Survival
Paddy's drinking and hallucinations highlight the psychological toll of isolation on the island.
- Innocence and Loss
The children treat Paddy's delirium as a game, unaware of the seriousness of his condition.
Characters to notice
- Dick
Leads the game of chasing Paddy, cooks for him, and finds him hallucinating.
- Emmeline
Participates in the rat chase and hears Paddy's singing at night.
- Paddy Button
Suffers from delirium tremens after a week of heavy drinking, hallucinating rats and a horse.
Key passages
“Oh, be the Holy Poker, there’s red rats comin’ out of the sand!”
Paddy exclaims in terror that red rats are emerging from the sand.
First sign of his hallucination during the rat hunt.
“I’m a flyin’ fish sailor come back from Hong Kong, Yeo ho! blow the man down.”
Paddy sings a traditional sea shanty about a sailor returning from Hong Kong.
Shows his jovial mood before the drinking binge.
