Introduction
Coraline is a dark fantasy novella for children written by Neil Gaiman. The book features Coraline, a girl who moves into a new house with her parents. Coraline is unhappy with her new life because her parents are always busy, and the surroundings are not as exciting as she expected. One day, the protagonist finds a door that leads to a different world. There, she has to deal with mysterious creatures and discover her strengths and weaknesses.
The setting of the book is most frightening and otherworldly, and the narrative is full of vivid descriptions of unreal places and characters the protagonist meets. Though the story describes mysterious circumstances, it covers real problems: the author touches upon different themes, such as childhood, home, trauma, and hope. These problems are represented through the images of the girl’s imprisoned parents, the witch kidnapper, the trapped souls of children, and the unreal world itself.
Main body
The problem of trauma is reflected in multiple challenges Coraline has to rise up to. Moving to a new house is an unpleasant experience for her; she has already explored all the surroundings and is dissatisfied with boredom and lack of her parents’ attention. Coraline deals with uncomfortable situations both in the real and the unreal world. However, the author shows that even a traumatic experience can positively influence one’s personality. As the story progresses, Coraline finds out that she can overcome every difficulty. She shows a great deal of courage and determination by saving her parents and the kidnapped children and by finding a way to deceive the Other Mother at the end of the story.
In the scary world behind the mysterious door, Coraline is confronted with dangers. However, the girl turns out to have a courageous and optimistic personality. Coraline constantly tries to find hope and motivation: she tends to remind herself that she is a brave and curious explorer in this unknown world. The girl even comforts the scared cat and her ghost friends, and therefore, she is the embodiment of hope in the story.
The theme of home is one of the key issues reflected in the novella. Being dissatisfied with her new life, Coraline is first amazed by the different world: her impostor parents treat her in the best way and even cook her favorite food. However, Coraline soon understands that this house and these parents are not her real family. After her scary adventures, Coraline realizes that her real parents are the most important people in her life, and her home is where her loved ones are. Coraline’s attitude changes significantly as she returns home, and starts seeing her life in a positive way.
All themes considered, it is possible to say that Coraline’s childhood beliefs were connected with exploring the world and living a life full of fascinating adventures. Coraline is curious by nature, even though in many cultures adventurousness is associated with boyhood. The reader or the mediator may find Coraline an absolute fantasy if their cultural attitude to childhood is connected with dependency on adults and incapability of making decisions. Nevertheless, other people may notice the neat symbolism of Coraline’s adventures. The author’s attitude towards childhood is depicted in the image of the protagonist: the writer suggests that it is always possible to find a solution to any problem and overcome traumatic experiences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although the story is about mysterious creatures and the scary parallel world, the author brings up real issues. Neil Gaiman implies that even children sometimes have to go through unpleasant, stressful, and even traumatic situations. However, by describing the adventures of the brave girl, the author suggests that courageous and optimistic people can always overcome difficulties and also reveal new sides of their personalities.