Introduction
The horror stories are an essential part of literature and art because they reflect culture. Evil is represented in various ways: fearful phenomena, bloody rulers, or mystical spirits. The latter especially occupies the brain because it sends into a new world where no natural laws apply. Stories with mysticism are entrenched in the culture because they interest people more than anything else. Nosferatu and Coraline are similar stories in which a strong female heroine defeats evil. The first story centers on the beautiful Ellen, who has taken it upon herself to prevent the plague. In the second, a teenage girl, Coraline, was able to confront another world that had become a prison for children’s souls. Ellen and Coraline are similar in how bravely they approached the fight against evil, but they are dissimilar in their reasons for doing so and how their lives have changed since.
Ellen: Purity of heart
Nosferatu was based on Bram Stroker’s novel Dracula, and Ellen is the prototype of Mina Harker. Ellen is a brave young girl who was able to stand up to Count Orlok, the vampire in love with her. He only sees her portrait once but immediately decides to get his hands on her. When Orlok attacks Hutter, Murnau tosses the viewer back and forth between the vampire’s aggression and an image of Ellen gripped by inexplicable terror (Murnau). A parallel montage illustrates the connection between the two characters and their inevitable meeting. Knowingly or not, Hutter made a deal with the Count and gave the monster his wife. Ellen is brave and strong because she can endure the realization of her terrible fate – her death could rid of the plague. Her strength lies in her willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of her husband and the town. Ellen is selfless and willing to see to the safety of others at the cost of her freedom. In this, she is similar to Coraline –both heroines could cope with the hardships they fell into because of other people’s temptations.
Coraline: Courage and faith
Neil Gaiman created Coraline to tell the story of people who will go over their heads for their goals. Little Coraline proved capable of overcoming her fears and defeating the evil that tempted her. She has no attention from her parents and therefore is easily influenced by a “happy” world. She is curious and intelligent but miserable without parental affection. It made the child weak, and sensing care from the mystical mommy and daddy on the other side of the secret door, Coraline could not immediately recognize the misery to come (Gaiman 8). However, no matter how much she suffers, the Other World is foreign to her: one has to sew on buttons instead of eyes and always obeys Other Mother. Coraline bravely fled the Other World because it was disgusting to her, and the children’s souls told her what was going on in it (Gaiman 18). Like Ellen, Coraline realizes that only she can prevent children from entering the Other World. She has gone to brave and dangerous lengths: she has lured her hand to the well and dropped it into it, locking it away.
Ellen and Coraline: Similar and different character traits
Ellen and Coraline are similar in many ways: their courage and willingness to sacrifice reveal them worthy characters. Their belief unites them in the best: Ellen understood that the plague was coming from Count Orlok, Coraline knew that if she did not close the door, many more children’s souls would be lost. Both heroines are courageous because they understand that no one but them can keep their world safe. In addition, faith in their family and their love made them strong because they understood that things could get much worse from here. Ellen lost her life, but her husband will always honor her sacrifice to save the city. Coraline realized that conflicts are solved by talking instead of forgetting from the problem.
What make the characters different are the reasons that led them to fight evil. Ellen had to do so because she wanted to save the city from disaster and because her husband had been careless in betraying her. Hutter inadvertently led her to her doom, and Ellen had no way to avoid it (Murnau). She made her death a celebration for the city because she eliminated the vampire, and he could no longer carry the plague. Coraline stumbled on her own: her heart proved incapable of accepting hardship and her mind was restless (Gaiman 7). It is justified by her age and parents, who inadvertently pushed her into potential confinement in another world. In addition, the fate of the heroines is also different: Coraline was able to return home and began to change her life, managing to come to terms with her busy parents. But for Ellen, her brave act led to her death: despite saving the city, she could never be happy with her husband again.
Conclusion
Horror stories always capture people’s imagination, especially those involving mystical phenomena. Nosferatu and Coraline tell the story of courageous female characters battling the evil that wanted to subjugate good. Ellen saved her world through a brave act-she let a vampire drink her blood and stop the plague. Coraline secured the souls of children who might have fallen under the control of another world. The characters share common traits: courage, self-sacrifice, a critical eye, a belief in the best. But they differ in what reasons prompted them to take courageous actions: for Ellen, it was an accident, for Coraline, it was her misstep.
Works Cited
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2002.
Murnau, Friedrich Wilhelm. Nosferatu. Prana film, 1922.