Summary:The Rithmatist

This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of The Rithmatist. We hope this summary will make it easier to find specific areas of the book, as well as providing a quick plot refresher for anyone who doesn't want to take the time to reread the entire book.

Prologue

Diagram of the Basic Easton Defense: [1]

Lilly -- a Rithmatics student of the Armedius Academy -- is hunted by a mysterious person that sends chalklings to attack her. She tries hard to defend herself, but disappears.

Part 1

Chapter 1

Diagram of the 4 Rithmatic Lines: [2]

Joel is sent to run errands for the office. He keeps the message for the Rithmatics professor Fitch for the last one and sneaks into Fitch's classroom. When Professor Nalizar shows up to challenge Professor Fitch Joel watches the duel and witnesses the loosing of Professor Fitch.

Chapter 2

Diagram of Two-Point and Four-Point circles: [3]

Joel comes back to the office after running his errands and watching the fight between Nalizar and Fitch. He tells the clerks that Fitch lost. That causes the clerks, Florence and Exton, to discuss about the necessity of such duels.

Because the summer holidays are coming, Joel needs to choose a summer elective. Florence prods him to do so and not miss it, for he would end up in a remedial tutelage if he does. He promises to do it in time.

Chapter 3

Diagram of Bind Points and Circles Advanced Notes [4]

After history class Joel has to do math. Joel likes mathematics as for geometry is the base for Rithmatics. The Rithmatic campus was set apart to the General campus though -- as in Joel's math class -- some of the Rithmatists had to join the ordinary classes because of lacking the basics.

When Professor Layton comes to check off last night's assignment, Joel is caught in not having done them. When Professor Layton dismisses the class he tells Joel to stay. Though Joel got perfect marks in the tests, Professor Layton isn't convinced about Joel's knowledge and Joel realizes that the professor thought him cheating. Joel supposes to do the assignment in these last few minutes of the class and begins to do. The professor thought somebody told Joel the answers and draws a new task on the board. Joel solves it quite instantly and points out that the drawings where not really accurate. He proves to be able to draw perfect lines and circles by eye and convinces Professor Layton that he already knew what was taught during this term, and also trigonometry and algebra. Finally the professor gives Joel the pass for geometry class.

Chapter 4

Diagram of the Ballintain Defense: [5]

Outside the classroom there's Melody waiting. She's one of the Rithmatic students in this math class. Joel finds her drawing unicorns. He is upset that she doesn't draw Rithmatic lines but she says she wants to spend time doing things that are not related to Rithmatics. Then she leaves him for her talk with Professor Layton.

Joel makes his way to a group of students where he heard about a Rithmatist student, Lilly Whiting, missing. Walking with Davis and Rose they see a federal inspector leave the Principal's office. As for a federal inspector has jurisdiction in all sixty islands it was unusual to see one on the campus. Also Principal York seemed to be troubled.

There is only one other student nearly in his age on the campus that is a child of a professor and not a Rithmatist himself, Davis. In previous years Joel and Davis spent summer holidays together at the campus. But Davis now tells Joel that he has the opportunity to spend holidays with the group that Michael takes with him, what is a great chance for Davis' future. When Joel seems disappointed, Davis reminds him that he is treated well by all the others. Joel has to admit this is right but he's not included by them, but barely tolerated.

When Davis and Rose leave to join Michael, Joel looks for a good place to read through Professor Fitch's books. Only when it grows too dark to read he thinks about supper and goes to the dining hall. His mother is already there. He takes himself something to eat and sits by his mother. She asks him about his summer elective and whether he's passing this year's classes. Then Joel asks his mother whether she has heard something about Lilly Whiting and, she told him it seems that she ran away. Joel stands, telling his mother he will be back in a few minutes.

Chapter 5

Diagram of a Six-Point Circle: [6]

Joel takes the two books from Professor Fitch he still carries around and approaches Professor Fitch, who now has to sit at the end of the professors' table. Detected by the other professors and told to leave, Joel is surprised when Professor Fitch tells them that he asked him to come. Joel gives the books back and hands Professor Fitch his apply to be with his student for summer elective. Professor Fitch tells him that there are always young man trying to join Rithmatist classes but that this is not possible. Then he suggests Joel to study at another university which is more open to teach Rithmatic to non-Rithmatists too. But he doesn't take Joel for summer elective.

Chapter 6

That night Joel muses about another possibility to get assigned for summer elective to Professor Fitch. He decides to fail the history test, hoping that this will cause a summer elective with Professor Fitch about Rithmatic history. Doing so Joel is sent to the office. Principal York shows Joel that he's disappointed about his behavior and Joel admits that he failed the test on purpose. Though it's against traditions to assign non-Rithmatists to Rithmatic professors, Principal York remembered that he put Professor Fitch on a special project and he thinks it a good idea to give the professor a research assistant. That research assistant hasn't to be a Rithmatic student, and he assigned Joel for this job, given that Joel passes the history test. Joel runs back to the history class and does his test, finally being assigned to Professor Fitch for the summer elective, though Principal York told him to talk to him next time.

Part 2

Chapter 7

Next morning Joel makes his way to Professor Fitch who is surprised to get Joel as research assistant but thinks it a good idea. Joel immediately feels at home in Professor Fitch's office with all that Rithmatic lines and books everywhere.

Shortly after his arriving Professor Fitch's second student arrives: Melody. She has to do a remedial tutelage with Professor Fitch because she failed in the basics of Rithmatic lines. She's put to do tracings of Rithmatic diagrams while Joel has to look through census records to search for all Rithmatists who died in the last twenty years. Though he isn't glad for this he begins go work on this task. Melody rumbles about her task, musing that she can't even draw perfect circles when tracing. Joel comes to help her and shows her some freehand circles. She asks him whether he does her tracing for her and she looks into his files. Joel reminds her of Professor Fitch sitting nearby who, indeed, listens to the two of them. When this first day ends Joel is more curious than before.

Chapter 8

Diagram for the Sumsion Defense

Joel takes some food to Florence and Exton in an attempt to find out what is going on. He discovers that there is a belief that Lilly Whiting didn't disappear, but that she was murdered by a Rithmatist.

Chapter 9

Diagram for Osborn defense

As Joel researches through the books, he finds Exton in the list of graduates from Armedius. Melody gets sick of tracing, and Fitch decides to teach Melody about keening and opponent. He gives her a lecture about the importance of strategy. Joel and Melody then competes as if they were in a dual.

Chapter 10

Diagram of the Eskridge Defense

Joel finishes up work on the census records and takes them to Fitch at Warding Hall. Fitch is distracted when he arrives, showing little interest in the records. Fitch then tells Joel that another Rithmatist student has disappeared, Herman Libel. Joel talks Fitch into letting him help with the events. They go over the diagrams from Lilly's scene. Harding arrives and fills them in on Herman, while also providing more sketches.

Chapter 11

Diagrams from the scene of Lilly Whiting

Joel goes to the library with Melody to find anything about the mysterious symbols found at the crime scenes. He grows more suspicious of Nalizar as he checked out a book about unknown Rithmatic symbols. Later, Joel teaches Melody the Jordan defense, so she can efficiently make chalklings.

Chapter 12

Diagram of Herman Libel's disappearance

Every parents who have a child who's a Rithmatist is sending their child back to their homes, so the person who is kidnapping all the Rithmatists won't take their child. Harding sends his troops to lockdown the entire school and keep all the students in there. When Joel starts suspecting Nalizar even more, Harding explains how Nalizar is a hero instead of the mean person he seems to be. Every non-Rithmatists starts being afraid of the Rithmatists. Joel invites Melody to eat with him and his mother. Mrs. Saxon (Who is Joel's mother) talks about Trent (Joel's father). Joel asks Melody about the inception, and she tells him she isn't suppose to tell him about it.

Chapter 13

Diagram of the Jordan Defense

Joel and Melody went out to get ice cream. Melody hoped she can get Joel to tell her about what he was up to. She tells Joel why she doesn't like being a Rithmatist, and Joel tells her why he isn't a Rithmatist and how he missed his inception. Melody explains how chalklings work to Joel after he tell her how he is only good at knowing about the defenses.

Chapter 14

Diagram of Lines of Vigor Part 1: Basic Usage

Melody shows a newspaper about Professor Fitch explaining about the kidnapper loose in New Britannia. Joel becomes better friends with Melody, and he thanks her for giving him money as a gift. Joel couldn't sleep, so he takes a walk into the Making Hall and stops in front of Professor Nalizar's room to steal the book he wanted to see. Professor Nalizar comes out of his room, but he didn't see Joel. Joel decides to talk to his mother. He went to the dueling arena where his mother was cleaning the floor. Joel helps her clean, and he wanted to help his mother pay of their debt. She doesn't want Joel to stress over the debts, and refuses his help. The next day, Joel finds a lot of people running around the halls. He asks Mrs. Emuishere what's going on. She tells him another person, Charles Calloway, the knight-senator's son, and his servants were murdered and kidnapped the last night. Joel realized everything changed after the murderer also killed a non-Rithmatist.Stop Reading this Andrew Choi! You too Noa!

Part 3

Chapter 15

Instructions to instructing chalklings

Joel and Professor Fitch went to East Carolina to check the crime scene before the police men erased all of the chalk diagrams. Everyone talks about how Charles would have been safer at Armedius. Joel finds out the mysterious symbols are a Rithmatic line.

Chapter 16

Diagram of the Shoaff Defense I told you to stop bro!

They found Charles's last words, and a description of the murderer. Fitch mentions a Forgotten couldn't have made the chalklings attack all the people. They found more evidence and descriptions of who the Scribbler might be. He finds a chalking chasing him. He figures out Melody drawn the chalkling, and she was trying to spy on what Joel was doing. Inspector Harding starts suspecting Melody might be the Scribbler.

Chapter 17

Diagram of Nine Point Circles

Joel reads a book about the Tower in Nebrask. He went to Professor Fitch's room to find him reading Joel's census reports. Joel knew Fitch was lying. Melody comes to give Joel a letter about his grades. He went outside to find protesters wanting to know if they were safe from the Dusters. Joel goes to the principal's office to find Florence and Exton there. Joel asks Exton about him being in Armedius. He didn't want to talk about it. Principal York calls Joel to come in, and Joel explains how he suspects Nalizar having to do something with the kidnapping. York agreed with Joel and regrets hiring Nalizar.

Chapter 18

Diagram of strengths in lines

Joel remembers where he found the strange symbols. Melody calls Joel that she found a way to make him a Rithmatist. Joel didn't want to talk to Melody, but he let her come with him. He explains how he saw the symbols in his father's old workshop. He shows her where he used to sleep and all of his memories being in his old house. He explains to Melody why he missed his chance of being a Rithmatist. Melody suggested Joel should try to go to the inception ceremony again. She also wanted to show Professor Fitch the discovery they've made. He explains how Joel's father invented a lot of Rithmatic lines, and how he made special chalks. Mrs. Saxon finds them in the workshop, and she decided to move back there again.

Chapter 19

Article of Types of Chalklings

Joel sits in church listening to Father Stewart. He looks at the stained windows showing a picture of the Rithmatic lines and the people who've discovered them. Melody tells him to go and ask Father Stewart to make Joel get his inception ceremony again. Melody convinces Father Stewart to let Joel go through the inception.

Chapter 20

Diagram of Binding Chalklings

Joel reads a chapter about how circles are important in Rithmatics and how man-made discoveries were important in the discovery of Rithmatics. Joel finds something about how King Gregory III found out about Rithmatics with the pocket watch he had, and it saved him from being eaten by the wild chalklings. Melody wanted Joel to come out of the workshop and talk to her. She talks about how a mob of men attacked a couple of Rithmatists for drawing chalklings. She also left to make office deliveries, and told Joel about her being in the Melee. She eventually got the book Joel wanted from Nalizar. Melody didn't want to compete in the Melee. She began to mention about how her parents wouldn't want her to visit over the summer, and how her brother, William Muns, died at Nebrask. Joel figured out Nalizar wasn't as bad as he suspected him to be. Joel then gets a letter from Father Stewart about how he gets another chance at becoming a Rithmatist.

Chapter 21

Diagram about Anchoring Defensive Circles with Lines of Forbiddance.

Joel couldn't sleep again. He thought about his inception, and about him having to go to Nebrask if he did become a Rithmatist. He went to read a book to help him fall asleep. He finds a diary about a person who survived wild chalklings attacking their homes and eating everyone. Joel heard a sound outside his window. When he went to check if it was a vandal, he found the symbol outside his wall. Joel tried to call for help, but no sound came out of his mouth. He couldn't defend himself, so he tried to escape the swarm of chalklings. He successfully dodges all of the Scribbler's traps and the chalkings. He found out the chalking stayed away from the gears in his coin. He tried to call for help again, and Exton heard him calling. Joel discovers Exton is a Rithmatist, and he went to find patrols to spray the chalklings with acid while Exton boxed himself in the office. Joel successfully survived and destroyed all the chalklings before it got to Exton. He also found out one of the symbols silences out sound.

Chapter 22

Diagram of bouncing Lines of Vigor off of Lines of Forbiddance

Harding arrested Exton. They said he made all of the chalkings and have proof for it. Joel didn't believe them and still believes Exton is innocent. Joel tries to get Exton out of trial. Melody gets mad for Joel not "inviting her when he was getting chased by the chalklings". Melody also thinks Exton is innocent. Joel went to get incepted. As Joel was in the chamber, he doubted if there even was a Master, and if the person from the diary escaped out of luck. He decided to ask the Master to make him into a Rithmatist. Joel turns around to find a chalkling standing. He touches it, and it falls and runs into the altar. Joel didn't become a Rithmatist.

Chapter 23

Diagram of the Taylor Defense

Joel went to his father's desk to feel bad about himself for failing his father's wish of Joel becoming a Rithmatist. Joel went to read the articles on the desk. He found the chalk drawing he saw in the chambers in the article. He found Melody outside his room. She sneaked pass the guard to get to Joel's room. Joel and Melody went to go to tell Fitch about Professor Nalizar being the one behind everything, but Fitch ignored them. When they went back, they found two figures unconscious on the ground. Joel tells Melody to find help while he went into the building to save anyone in the building from the Scribbler. When Joel went inside, he accidentally splashed Nalizar with the bucket of acid. He traps Joel in a box made of Line of Forbiddance for splashing Joel. Then, a swarm of chalklings attacked Nalizar and Joel. Inspector Harding was the Scribbler. Joel tries to escape after the Scribbler uses another mysterious symbol to make Nalizar unconscious from the force. He found Melody's unicorns help Joel escape the box he was trapped in, and they both get trapped in a room. Professor Fitch came to save them both from Harding.

Chapter 24

Joel's Sketch of the Rithmatic Dorms' second floor that night

Professor Fitch began to draw the Taylor defense to attack Harding. Joel and Melody began to help Fitch destroy all of the chalklings by making a maze like pattern to trap them. Joel told Professor Fitch to run and find a clock to scare the chalklings away. Joel used a bucket of acid to wash away the chalklings while they were frozen in place by the clock. The chalklings began to expand, and they were actually all of the missing victims. Melody reunites with her brother.

Chapter 25

Diagram of the Advanced Easton Defense

Principal York apologizes to Professor Nalizar and Exton. They had a Melee that day, and Melody had to compete in it. She told Joel why she didn't want to compete in the Melee. Professor Nalizar shows his true self, a Forgotten. Joel couldn't do anything about it after declaring Nalizar was innocent in front of everyone. He eventually leaves Joel. He went to Exton to ask if he can be in the Melee, so Nalizar can't make his students do something terrible in Nebrask that will release all of the chalklings. Exton allows Joel, and he helps Melody trace over his lines. The Professors watch the two battle, and are intrigued by it. Joel used the Line of Revocation against an opponent that didn't anchor their circle. Melody and Joel won the Melee, and Joel and Nalizar began to watch each other. Joel vowed to stop Nalizar no matter how many times it'll take him.

Notes

This meta article is complete, but has yet to be reviewed.