kla-si-k-a

It took me awhile to get into The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, but once I did I enjoyed the subtle humor and the premise of the book. I like the way in which Gaiman presented the fantastical elements of the book. Upon my first reading it seemed new, but the more I meditated on it the more I realized it had been done before; he approached it in his own way. Writing about common themes: being orphaned, ghosts and ghouls, childhood exploration, etc. made this book relatable to a handful of other texts. I could see The Graveyard Book easily paired with other such as The Jungle Book which Gaiman based parts of his after, The Book Thief where Death is never too far away, The Giver where transformation takes part in the lives of the male protagonist at age 12, and Harry Potter where a the only escapee of a murderer is continually pursued and he lives in a fantastical world going on adventures. Some key aspects I found interesting and unique to this novel was the fact that it including visuals at the beginning and end of the chapters. I’m not quite sure what purpose this served, other than to help tie the different “installments” or chapters together. The visual aid could help the reader wrap everything up into a neat and tidy package at the conclusion of one chapter and transition into the next segment more easily if they did not have to draw the connections. Also, I enjoyed Gaiman’s unique word choice, calling the antagonist the man, Jack instead of simply just Jack. I feel the stigma from calling him the man Jack instilled the same amount of fear as calling Voldemort ‘the one whose name must not be spoken.’ The addition of a description or “title” to Jack’s name acted in a similar way that the exclusion of Voldemort’s name did in Harry Potter. These men are given power by intimidation, a strategy which does not affect all who are in this novel. Silas was my favorite character because he has the power to do it all and can float between the world of the living and of the dead. He is instrumental to Bod’s teaching and leaves him with great advice.

2022-11-14 13:28