Summary
Chapter 57: Daisy’s Plan
Daisy, Bert, Martha, and Roderick continue living in the Ickabog's cave. Daisy and the Ickabog grow closer, while the other three children are still too afraid to approach it. Roderick does not fully trust Daisy since he was raised to always expect the worst of people. However, Martha knows Daisy well from their years in the orphanage, so she assures the boys that Daisy must be working on a plan to save them.
Indeed, Daisy is working on a plan to save her friends, the Ickabog, and all of Cornucopia. She can tell that winter will end soon, so she has to act fast before the soldiers return to the Marshlands. She tells the Ickabog that she has listened to its song and she doesn't think a kind, wise, brave Ickabog would kill people. The Ickabog says that it has to kill and eat people or its babies, or Ickaboggles, will die. Daisy suggests that it would actually be better for the Ickaboggles to be born surrounded by people who are their friends. The Ickabog thinks and then agrees, but it says that the children will have to stay with the children forever. Daisy reminds the Ickabog that the food from the wagon will run out soon. She suggests that they all go back to the greener parts of Cornucopia, the children and the Ickabog, and show everyone that the Ickabog doesn't hurt people. That way, the Ickaboggles will be able to eat more than mushrooms, and Lord Spittleworth's lies will be exposed. The Ickabog is scared of this plan since all the other Ickabogs were killed by humans, but Daisy swears to protect it, saying, "We’re going to bring Ickabogs back…and Cornucopia, too."
Chapter 58: Hetty Hopkins
After convincing the Ickabog, Daisy must convince her friends to help with her plan. Bert finds it hard to trust the Ickabog since he still believes it killed his father, but Daisy gets her friends to finally talk face to face with the Ickabog, and the Ickabog reveals that Major Beamish was shot. Roderick admits that he suspected Lord Flapoon killed Major Beamish for a long time. Bert doesn't talk for a while, then he touches his father's medal and tells Daisy he will join her plan.
Martha and Roderick agree as well and the children and the Ickabog prepare to leave the Marshlands. They carve wooden platters into signs with mottos like "UP WITH THE ICKABOG! DOWN WITH LORD SPITTLEWORTH!" They load the wagon with the remaining frozen food for the children and a great deal of mushrooms for the Ickabog. Then, they set off.
They don't see anyone for a while, but around midday they come across Hetty Hopkins, the former palace servant, her husband, and one scrawny sheep. They are extremely hungry and weak, so when they see the Ickabog they think they have gone crazy. However, the children assure them that the Ickabog is harmless, and the Ickabog proves it by patting the sheep on the head. They offer for Hetty, her husband, and the sheep to come along with them and spread the information that Lord Spittleworth has been lying, and they agree.
Chapter 59: Back to Jeroboam
Daisy, Bert, Martha, Roderick, the Ickabog, the Hopkins, and the sheep keep walking until they reach Jeroboam. Guards at the city gates raise their guns when they see them, but they are too scared to fire. The Ickabog proves its kindness by offering flowers to the guards and patting their heads. The guards let them through and the group proceeds into Jeroboam. People scream and run away, but the Ickabog continues passing out flowers and not harming anyone, and soon a crowd forms to accept the flowers and thank the Ickabog. The children tell everyone to come with them to Chouxville to expose Lord Spittleworth's lies and a huge crowd of people decides to come along.
Before leaving Jeroboam, Daisy insists that the crowd stop by Ma Grunter's orphanage. The Ickabog kicks down the front door and Daisy helps all the orphan children escape. Ma Grunter runs after the children but faints when she sees the Ickabog. When Basher John sees the Ickabog and the children who escaped the orphanage not long before, he steals a horse and rides off toward Chouxville to warn Lord Spittleworth.
Chapter 60: Rebellion
As the crowd supporting the Ickabog marches toward Chouxville, another rebellion is brewing right inside the palace. The prisoners in the dungeon, including Mrs. Beamish, Mr. Dovetail, and Captain Goodfellow, have all hidden cooking and carpentry implements, and this is the day they are going to make their escape.
While the prisoners wait for the right time to make their attack, Lord Spittleworth visits the stables to see the stuffed Ickabog he has forced many seamstresses and tailors to create. It is clearly fake, but Lord Spittleworth thinks it will be good enough to show the king if they make sure it is dark in the stable and the king stands far away from it. The workers believe they will be sent home to their families now that the job is complete, but Lord Spittleworth sends them to the dungeons before heading back into the palace to have breakfast with the king and Lord Flapoon.
Lord Spittleworth informs the king that the Ickabog has been stuffed, which pleases the king. The king suggests touring it around the kingdom, but Lord Spittleworth advises against this, knowing that people will be able to tell it is fake. Suddenly, Basher John bursts into the king's private apartments. The narrator states that Basher John had to break into the palace, so he is followed by two guards with swords. Basher John yells out that a real Ickabog is coming toward the palace with thousands of people. King Fred is terrified, Lord Flapoon hardly seems to notice, and Lord Spittleworth is enraged. Lord Spittleworth orders for Basher John to be taken to the dungeons. Just then, two of Lord Spittleworth's spies burst into the room and give the same news that a real Ickabog is coming. Lord Spittleworth must save face by saying "Of course the Ickabog’s real!" He forces the spies out of the room and tells them to summon the Ickabog Defense Force to the palace courtyard.
Lord Spittleworth thinks to himself that some common folk must have created a fake Ickabog to scare others. Lord Flapoon remains unbothered because he thinks Lord Spittleworth must have planned this. The two men prepare to leave King Fred, but when they open the door to leave, they see the prisoners from the dungeons rushing toward them holding their makeshift weapons. Lord Spittleworth slams the door closed, and in a moment Mr. Dovetail begins chopping it to pieces with his axe. Lord Spittleworth and Lord Flapoon run to another door that leads to a staircase to the courtyard. They slam and lock that door from the outside, so when King Fred tries to follow them, he can't get through. King Fred stands in shock and fear as the prisoners continue to break down the door.
Chapter 61: Flapoon Fires Again
When Lord Spittleworth and Lord Flapoon arrive in the courtyard, the Ickabog Defense Force is already gathered there. They can hear King Fred being attacked by the prisoners in his room, but Spittleworth says "Forget the king!" Captain Goodfellow leans out the window of the king's room and tells Lord Spittleworth that he won't escape, but Lord Spittleworth jumps on his horse and summons the Ickabog Defense Force to join him in riding to find the Ickabog. The narrator states that Prodd, the man who kidnapped Daisy but couldn't kill her, has been promoted to Major since Major Roach's death.
Lord Spittleworth tries to think of a plan as he rides out of Chouxville. He thinks to himself that he will simply kill all the people who made this fake Ickabog, since he still thinks there is no way a real Ickabog exists. Regarding the king's situation with the prisoners, he thinks that it will actually be easier to rule Cornucopia with King Fred out of the way. The streets are crowded with people from Chouxville who have heard about the Ickabog and want to see it for themselves. Lord Spittleworth yells at the crowd to part and the Ickabog Defense Force barges through.
After a while, Lord Spittleworth sees a strange sight coming toward them: the Ickabog, as tall as two horses with Daisy riding on its shoulder, surrounded by thousands of Cornucopians. Lord Spittleworth, Lord Flapoon, and all the soldiers are terrified because they have never seen a real Ickabog. One soldier quickly rides off in fear, and even Lord Spittleworth seems unable to think coherently. Lord Flapoon suggests shooting the Ickabog, but Lord Spittleworth says they can't do that because they are clearly outnumbered.
Suddenly, the Ickabog lets out a horrible scream. It falls to its knees as it enormous belly splits open. Lord Flapoon think that this means the Ickabog is fake and that the people inside the Ickabog costume must be coming out, so he aims his gun at the Ickabog's belly and fires.
Chapter 62: The Bornding
Many things happen all at once. Lord Flapoon fires his gun just as the Ickabog's Ickaboggle is being "bornded." Bert and Roderick jump in front of the Ickabog to save it, and the bullet hits Bert in the chest. The Ickaboggle, which was bornded while its Icker was feeling fear of humans shooting it, rushes to attack Lord Flapoon. The Ickabog Defense Force and Lord Spittleworth ride off as quickly as possible, and the Ickaboggle mauls Lord Flapoon to death in moments.
Meanwhile, it turns out that Bert did not die from the bullet because it hit him exactly where his father's medal was against his chest. Seeing that Bert is okay, Daisy turns her attention to the Ickabog who is dying. A second Ickaboggle crawls out of the Ickabog's stomach; this one is calm and loving toward people because it is bornded as Daisy strokes the Ickabog's hair. The Ickabog dies and Daisy weeps over its body. The Ickaboggle comforts her and tells her it already knows everything about her that its Icker knew.
Daisy sees that people have crowded around the first-born Ickaboggle to prevent it from killing more humans. Daisy gets up on the wagon and yells out not to hurt the Ickaboggle because that will cause it to have more Ickaboggles that hate humans even more. Daisy tells the crowd about how Major Beamish was killed by Lord Flapoon, not the Ickabog. The crowd decides to bring the Ickaboggles and the bodies of the Ickabog and Lord Flapoon to the palace to talk to the king. As the crowd departs for Chouxville, Bert and Roderick quietly leave in another direction.
Chapter 63: Lord Spittleworth’s Plan
The crowd arrives at the palace. Mr. Dovetail and Mrs. Beamish, both older than when they last saw their children, rush out of the castle. Daisy immediately recognizes her father, even with his white hair. They hug and sob together, but Daisy takes a moment to tell Mrs. Beamish that Bert is alive and is off doing something else. There is hubbub all around as the first-born Ickaboggle is dragged away so it cannot harm people and Daisy asks her father if Martha can live with them. Captain Goodfellow appears on a balcony with King Fred and tells the crowd that "it was time to try life without a king."
Meanwhile, when Lord Spittleworth saw the Ickaboggle coming for Lord Flapoon, he immediately left on his horse for his country estate. However, he has pushed his horse so hard that the horse goes lame, throws the lord off its back, and kicks him for good measure before running away. Lord Spittleworth is forced to jog to his estate, so he only reaches it once night has fallen. When he arrives he sees that all the lights are out. He goes inside for his butler, Scrumble, who had dressed up as Nobby Buttons’ mother and Professor Fraudysham. The butler yells that he is in the cellar, so Lord Spittleworth goes downstairs. The butler tells Lord Spittleworth that he has prepared everything to leave. Lord Spittleworth asks the butler why he is wearing the Professor Fraudysham costume, why it is so dark, and why the butler's voice sounds funny. The butler replies that he thought they should keep the house dark and wear disguises so that people wouldn't catch them escaping, and he says that his voice must be funny from the dust in the cellar.
Lord Spittleworth and the butler carry a final load of gold up to the carriage waiting outside the estate. Lord Spittleworth hears a strange, muffled noise that reminds him of the dog caught in brambles in the marsh. When Lord Spittleworth says that he doesn't like the noise, the moon comes out from behind a crowd and reveals what is really going on. It is Bert wearing the Professor Fraudysham costume, not Scrumble; in fact, Scrumble is the one making the strange noise since he is bound and gagged in the carriage. Bert is holding a gun pointed at Lord Spittleworth, as is Lady Eslanda who is sitting in the carriage. Sitting in the driver position of the carriage is Roderick Roach. Lord Spittleworth offers the boys gold, but Bert refuses, saying "You’re coming back to Chouxville and we’re going to have a proper trial."
Chapter 64: Cornucopia Again
The final chapter of The Ickabog describes how Cornucopia has changed after King Fred and Lord Spittleworth were overthrown. Captain Goodfellow is elected as Prime Minister and marries Lady Eslanda. King Fred, Lord Spittleworth, and those who carried out Lord Spittleworth's wicked plans are put on trial and sent to the dungeons. The money that Lord Spittleworth had amassed from the Ickabog tax is given back to the people of Cornucopia, many of whom restart their old businesses, taverns, and farms. Other Cornucopians learn new trades, including working at libraries established by Lady Eslanda where orphanages once stood and learning to farm mushrooms in the new Cornucopian city of Ickaby. Ickaby produces mushrooms, fish, and wool products. Martha and Roderick get married, as do Mr. Dovetail and Mrs. Beamish. Mrs. Beamish starts up a pastry store, Mr. Dovetail and Daisy co-own a carpentry business, Bert joins the Cornucopian army like his father, and Daisy also becomes "the world’s foremost authority on Ickabogs."
A museum is established to teach people about Cornucopia's horrible years under Lord Spittleworth's rule, and a statue to the original Ickabog is put up in Chouxville. The two Ickaboggles are integrated into Cornucopian society. The second-born Ickaboggle, who was born liking humans, teaches people to farm mushrooms in Ickaby. The first-born Ickaboggle who was born while its Icker was being shot by Lord Flapoon is caged at first, but King Fred becomes its caretaker and advocates for it to be let outside. Over time, King Fred shows the first-born Ickaboggle that people can change, and when that Ickaboggle has its own Ickaboggles, they are peaceful toward humans. The chapter ends with the narrator stating, "All I know is that countries, like Ickabogs, can be made gentle by kindness, which is why the kingdom of Cornucopia lived happily ever after."
Analysis
Throughout this section of The Ickabog, Rowling uses the Ickabog's eyes to symbolize its goodness. The clearest example of this is when the people of Jeroboam stop fearing the Ickabog when they see "it had a kindly look in its enormous eyes." This is similar to when Daisy first sees the Ickabog in Chapter 51 and notices "the large, mournful eyes of the Ickabog." This may have been what caused Daisy to initially trust the Ickabog enough to learn about its history. There is an old saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, so perhaps Rowling is in support of the idea that looking into someone's eyes can show you their true nature.
Rowling also shows that people can tell when something is not good or genuine by looking at its eyes. When Lord Spittleworth visits the stuffed Ickabog that he has forced seamstresses and tailors to create in the stable, the narrator states "its angry eyes glowed amber in its face." This may sound fearsome and convincing at first, but in the next paragraph, Lord Spittleworth notes "Close up, you could...tell that the eyes were made of glass." This parallels how Lord Spittleworth has worked to make everyone fear the Ickabog over the course of many years, but people will soon be able to see that he was tricking them.
It is important to note that as the chapter "Rebellion" was released online, there were a number of protest movements (that could perhaps be called rebellions) going on throughout the world. These included a multi-year protest movement in Hong Kong due to mainland China undermining Hong Kong's autonomy, widespread protests in the United States against police brutality and white supremacy, and the Hirak Movement in Algeria in opposition to a ruler many saw as corrupt. The story The Ickabog puts the reader on the side of the rebels, which could be seen as Rowling showing support for these movements or the idea of protest in general.
Rowling's pro-rebellion stance is underscored by the exaggeration of Lord Spittleworth's wickedness in these chapters. For example, Rowling writes that the seamstresses and tailors who made the stuffed Ickabog are relieved because they believe they will go home to their families after many days of exhausting work. She follows this with Lord Spittleworth commanding guards to take the servants to the dungeons and shoot them if they make any noise. By first telling the reader about the servants' relief, it is even more shocking how callous Lord Spittleworth is to those doing his bidding. Furthermore, Rowling writes that Lord Spittleworth says this "lazily" and then depicts him going upstairs while whistling. These details vividly show Lord Spittleworth's lack of care for the emotions and lives of anyone but himself.
The final chapter of The Ickabog is written like a complete fairy tale in itself. It starts "Once upon a time, there was a tiny country called Cornucopia," which is how the first chapter of The Ickabog starts as well. This allows the reader to compare and contrast Cornucopia at the beginning of the story and at the end. Rowling ties up many loose ends and underscores many morals in this last chapter. All of the book's antagonists end up dead or jailed, while the protagonists end up married and employed in jobs that suit their interests. The monarchy of Cornucopia is replaced by a Prime Minister, perhaps signaling Rowling's views on real-world governance, particularly in her home country, England. The moral that Rowling seems most keen to drive home is stated explicitly in the last paragraph: people and countries can change. In fact, The Ickabog shows that even terrible, difficult situations can result in improvements, both to people and to a country as a whole.
