Thursday, November 18, 2010

Blog Entry 3.5: Coraline

         In every book, there is a process that the protagonist must go through. They are almost the same in every story, if not switched around a little bit. The Hero’s Quest, an interpretation written by Joseph Campbell, is said to identify the hero goes through in a story. In the text, Coraline, many of the different parts of the Hero’s Quest are identified. Some are small parts of the quest, while others can be very big. The Hero’s Quest is broken up into 3 parts being the Departure, the Initiation and the Return.


         This is something important to a reader because sometimes it helps the reader understand the story much better. The steps describe what it is the hero must go through to get to the next step. This also makes identifying each part of the story easier, being that they are mainly used in most stories. This is something to care about because once you understand the parts to the quest, it helps the book make sense and the reader never really has to wonder why the hero, or main character is doing what they are doing.


         The Departure in Coraline is pretty distinct. First, the Call to Adventure is seen. The Call to Adventure is when the hero’s life is going to change, whether they are aware of it, or not. In the story, the Call to Adventure is when Coraline and her family move into the new home. She discovers the door, but is not fully aware of its use to her. The Refusal of the Call is when the call is given but refuses to go on the adventure.  She is sleeping one night and hears a slow “.... kreeee... ...aaaak”.  (pg. 10) She sees a black shape scurrying in the dark into the corner by the door, and she turns on the light. When she sees the door slightly open she doesn’t pay any mind.  Another example is when Coraline speaks to the old man upstairs. The old man says he has a message for her from the mice. the message was, “Don’t go through the door.” Coraline has no idea what it means and continues going about her way. The Supernatural Aid is when the hero is given an artifact, item, or has a physical someone or something to help her with the upcoming quest. When Coraline is visiting with Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, they read her tea leaves, and she is warned that she is in terrible danger. Miss Spink then gives her a small stone with a hole all the way through it.  She is excited about the warning and begins going back home. The Crossing of the First Threshold is when the hero actually crosses into the new world they were called to, and then are in the new world where the rules and limits are unknown to them. This occurs when Coraline is alone in the house, bored, and she grabs the keys to the door. Except when she opens the door, she doesn’t see a brick wall, she sees a long, dark hallway. She travels down the hall, and realizes its her home b ut her mother and father have buttons for eyes. This is when The Belly Of The Whale is presented. This point is when the hero seperates from her real world to the alter world. The hero is wiling to go through a metamorphosis. When Coraline realizes that her other world is better, she has a feeling of not wanting to go back. Her other mother makes a delicious chicken, fried potatoes and peas. She describes it as the best tasting thing she ever ate. She visits the other neighbors and then returns home to her other home.


The Initiation is sort of mixed up in the story but can be very distinct if read deeply. The Road of Trials is when the hero must go through a series of steps to make the transformation. Coraline returns back to the other world noticing that her parents have been kidnapped and she sets out to save them. She realizes that the other mother is quite evil, and wants to keep Coraline forever. The Meeting with the Goddess is shown when the cat explains to her that the other mother just wants something to love and keep. She has nothing in the other world, so she does whatever it takes to make the person stay.The Woman as a Temptress can be described for the other mother. The other mother speaks to Coraline about what they were going to do for the day, and Coraline refuses. The other mother decides that she needs to learn manners, and throws Coraline behind the wall of the mirror. There Coraline meets with the spirits of the other children the other mother consumed. (Consumed meaning she fed on their souls and took their hearts.) The Atonement with the Father is where the hero confronts the person who has the ultimate power in the story that being the Other Mother.


















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth