Coraline - 1398 Words

In most fairy tales, there is a quest structure that the protagonist follows through. The typical quest structure is as followed: an ideal happiness, disruption of the ideal happiness, tasks to reinstate happiness, and finally the reinstating of happiness. The cycle is never broken. In Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, this quest structure is abandoned. Unlike the typical quest structure, the protagonist, Coraline, undergoes a coming of age quest in which the quest structure deviates from the typical structure. Coraline’s quest signifies her coming of age when she overcomes what Freud calls her â€Å"infantile complexes,† which then allows her to break the typical quest structure by abandoning her childhood and embracing her adulthood. The typical†¦show more content†¦The parents are more concerned about work and the house rather than spending time with Coraline. In response to Coraline’s pestering about what she is allowed to do, her mother replies,  "I don’t really mind what you do†¦as long as you don’t make a mess† (6) while her father asks Coraline to â€Å"leave me alone to work† (7). Throughout the beginning of the story, Coraline is constantly pushed away and made second to work leaving Coraline alone. This hardly makes for the ideal happiness that the typical quest structure begins with. Coraline starts off with a less than perfect setting that the protagonist loathes. Coraline starts off wishing for something else other than her current family, which contradicts the typical quest where the goal is to return to the ideal happiness the protagonist possessed in the beginning. The fact that Coraline starts off with a less than ideal happiness then leads to another deviation from the typical quest. In the typical quest, there is a disruption to the happiness that leads to distress and sets the quest arc in motion. In Coraline, the equivalent of the disruption that sets forth the quest arc is presented as something desired by Coraline. The first couple of interactions with the other world are something that Coraline had desired in the real world. An example of this is the parents and the world itself. The other mother and father is the complete of the real mother andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Coralines Coraline 1843 Words   |  8 PagesIn the book Coraline Coraline goes through a plethora of stages starting from being a naà ¯ve child to eventually evolving into a girl with a strong identity who is fully aware of who she is and proud of who she has become. At the beginning of the book Coraline is your typical kid who is filled with curiosity and an urge for exploration. This is best illustrated on page 26 when Coraline first ventures into the alternate universe. â€Å" Coraline went through the door; she wondered what the empty flat wouldRead MoreIt Is No Secret That Coraline Is A Novel Littered With1270 Words   |  6 Pages It is no secret that Coraline is a novel littered with allusions to feminist theory. Gaiman is a talented multi-platform writer who chose to tackle material feminism and postfeminism in the construct of a children’s book. Many of Gaiman’s texts, Coraline included, present a pilgrimage forward to heteronormative feminine identity. Coraline in particular achieves this narrative by demonizing feminine power. The overwhelming strength of the, phallically depicted, other mother must be vanquished, whichRead MoreThe Life of Coraline Neil Gaiman1484 Words   |  6 PagesCoraline – Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman born 10 November 1960 is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His other notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, and The Graveyard Book. He has won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals. Neil Gaiman is an author who focusses his attention on the dark and creepyRead MoreCoraline, By Henry Selick And Based Off Of Neil Gaiman s Novella803 Words   |  4 PagesThe critically acclaimed film, Coraline, depicts a tale of a neglected child who becomes tangled in an insidious world. Coraline, was directed by Henry Selick and based off of Neil Gaiman’s novella. This story mixes horror elements along with adventure and mystery in order to present a well balanced depiction. Benefitting from the haunting narration, the title sequence uses various mechanics to create an impactful arrangement. Coraline’s, title sequence begins with an image of worn, brown leatherRead MoreFear And Bravery, By Neil Gaiman s Coraline And Lois Lowry s The Giver1619 Words   |  7 Pagesand bravery often go hand-in-hand in children’s fantasy literature, in which the child protagonist must overcome their fears in order to earn their bravery and save the day. With this in mind, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Lois Lowry’s The Giver are no exception to said rule. In Gaiman’s Coraline, the young protagonist must save her parents from the clutches of the evil ‘Other Mother’ in the fantastical ‘Other World’ that sits in Coraline’s own home. Whereas in Lowry’s The Giver, young Jonas must findRead MoreComparison Of Freud And Jentsch s Concept Of The Uncanny1143 Words   |  5 Pages with some opposition to Jentsch’s investigation, took it further from what Jentsch concluded. Freud theorizes that â€Å"the ‘uncanny’ is that class of terrifying which leads back to something long known to us, once very unfamiliar.†(Freud, 1) Coraline by Neil Gaiman as well Harry Potter by J.K Rowling include examples of both Freud and Jentsch’s concept of the â€Å"uncanny†. Firstly, the etymology of the word â€Å"uncanny† is informative. In English, its etymology is straightforward. The meaningRead MoreCoraline2495 Words   |  10 Pages3/2/09 English 1106 Coraline is a horrific children’s book that was produced into a movie in 2009. Written by Neil Gaiman, the book was published in 2003 as juvenile fiction. Gaiman’s twisted ingenious mind has even frightened adult readers. This creepy fairy tale clearly draws much of its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. What started out as a children’s novel became a hit movie in theaters. What is so spectacular about Coraline may be the colorful characters, theRead MoreWhat Does You Do You?1657 Words   |  7 PagesGaiman s Coraline, the titular character begins the story as a girl who has yet to truly find herself. Being such a young girl, she has yet to experience situations that would grow to define who she is. The impact of choice is explained perfectly by Coraline when she explains: It wasn t brave because he wasn t scared; it was the only thing he could do. But going back again to get his glasses, when he knew the wasps were there, when he was really scared. That was brave (Gaiman ). Coraline s fatherRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave1915 Words   |  8 Pagesexists a place in one’s mind that determines what is real, and what is not. One could argue this distant concept as being linked to the subconscious; others, such as Neil Gaiman, provide a template for existence on the other side. The children’s story Coraline reveals the truth of darkness and confusion in a supposed replicated dimension. The Allegory of the Cave is an essay written by philosopher Plato that explains the analogy of prisoners kept facing a wall in a cave to those who experience a perfectlyRead MoreThe Is Not The Case With Neil Gaiman2532 Words   |  11 Pagesassociated is what makes these unique works of art. Gaiman can create parallel universes where magic, gods, ghosts, ghouls, demons, angels all exist sometimes cohesively, sometimes never crossing paths. Most of his novels such as Neverwhere and Coraline deal with finding one’s self just like many other books but his way of manipulating space is what makes him unique. Nonetheless the universes he creates, although often described as dystopian, are mirrors of the reality that we live in. These universes