The Food of the Gods · Character

Caddles

A chalk-cutting giant's son who lifts lovers apart like dolls and asks his washing mother why the gentry own everything and he owns nothing.

supporting

Also known as the Caddles, Mrs. Caddles, young Caddles

First appearance: I: The Coming of the Food

As a supporting figure in The Food of the Gods, Caddles is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The Caddles infant is heard wailing through the partition as Mrs.

In the storyChapter VIIIOpen this moment free

Young Caddles grows up enormous in Cheasing Eyebright, gentle with chicks and kittens, awkward among ordinary people, and increasingly unable to accept the answers he is given about work, class, and Lady Wondershoot's carriage. His mother parries his questions with the wisdom of the poor while the village around them hardens into fear and blame. He is the story's most human giant: patient, literal, and quietly dangerous because he keeps thinking.

See Caddles in Chapter VIII Book page

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Character Web

4 connections

A slice of how Caddles sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Village giants and opponents

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak where Redwood’s p…

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Relationships

The Vicar
rivalry · negative
Caddles, a giant, is in conflict with the Vicar, who represents the oppressive human… How this plays out →
The Vicar
rivalry · negative
Caddles, a giant, is in conflict with the Vicar, who represents the oppressive human… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Caddles in I: The Coming of the Food

In the story

Caddles appears across 23 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter VIII
The Caddles infant is heard wailing through the partition as Mrs. Skinner works.
Book II: The Food in the Village
One of the village children who grows to giant size due to the Food.
I: The Coming of the Food
The Caddles' baby in Cheasing Eyebright shows abnormal growth due to the Food.
III
Mentioned as having visited his mother-in-law and heard Skinner brag about his hens, around the time the baby began growing.
IV
The father of the giant baby, Albert Edward Caddles, who struggles to manage his son's insatiable appetite and growth.
V
The Caddles' baby is identified as a local case of giantism, prompting the Vicar's visit.
The Discovery at Cheasing Eyebright
Young Caddles, Mrs. Skinner's grandson, has been fed the Food and is now a giant infant.
VII
Mentioned as the recipient of the Food; Lady Wondershoot 'wigging Caddles' in her anger.
II: The Brat Gigantic
The giant child, now growing into adolescence, is described as ugly yet almost pretty in early years, with a friendly smile. He is troublesome due to his immense size and appetite, and is isolated from normal village life.
I
Young Caddles is the central figure, depicted as a giant child who is both curious and sociable but increasingly isolated and restricted by the villagers.
II
Young Caddles, now a giant, causes havoc with his playful engineering projects, flooding the village and fleeing before returning.
III
Young Caddles is put to work in the chalk quarry, where he labors contentedly but inadvertently spreads the Food of the Gods through his eating habits.
IV
Young Caddles begins to question his role in society and the nature of work and leisure.
Chapter V
Young Caddles is seen brooding on the hill, unaware that the Vicar watches him for the last time.
Book III: The Harvest of the Food
The giant from Cheasing Eyebright, whose journey to London causes chaos and highlights societal tensions.
I: The Altered World
Implied as one of the giant figures associated with the Food's spread.
I
Young Caddles, frustrated with his labor in the chalk pit, destroys the pit and sets out for London, unaware of the political situation.
II
Young Caddles is the central figure, a giant from the chalk pits, perplexed and overwhelmed by the city of London and its swarming inhabitants.
III
Young Caddles, the giant, wanders through London, seeking meaning and connection in the pygmy world, but finds only confusion and futility.
The Wandering of Caddles
Young Caddles, the giant, wanders London in hunger and confusion, steals food, and is ultimately shot by police after a violent confrontation.
IV: Redwood’s Two Days
Young Caddles' photograph is part of Redwood's collection, symbolizing the spread of the Food.
I
Young Caddles dies on the day of Redwood's arrest.
Chapter II
Young Caddles' photograph is among those in Redwood's study, a reminder of the giant children.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Caddles unlock in the free preview.

See Caddles in I: The Coming of the Food

See Caddles in Chapter VIII