Grass Isn’t Greener In Other World, Essay Example

Introduction

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a novel whose main character is Coraline Jones. She moves with her parents into an old house divided into flats. Coraline is bored and unimpressed by her new environment. She attempts to get comfort from the surrounding by opening a bricked door which leads her into a new different world. The new world feels interesting for her; however, she risks house imprisonment for entering the house and demanding her parents’ release. From the Coraline novel, it is clear that home/away/home pattern is essential in explaining children experience s after changing homes or reversing their normal childhood. The practice is critical in exploring the occurrences that involve introducing new concepts where the characters learn to understand the surrounding and themselves better. The home/away/home pattern highlights the central theme of the characters.

The role of home/away/home pattern is to narrate children stories. Numerous children’s books involve returning home or moving to a new house reversing the typical sequence or order of childhood (Sardella-Ayres, 38). In Coraline novel, Coraline Jones move to a new place with her parents. She is bored, unhappy and unimpressed by her new home environment.  This situation indicates her regular order of childhood life is reversed. When she initially sets foot in her parents’ new house, she dislikes the place since she does not feel at home.

Moreover, her new neighbours misunderstand and overlook her real name by calling her “Caroline”,, a scenario that makes her disoriented and uncomfortable in her new home environment. Coraline explores all activities she can, including visiting Miss Spink and Miss Forcible; however, her life sequence has been reversed since these actions do not make her comfortable in her new home surroundings. Coraline has a limited understanding that a home is not a place someone moves into; a legitimate and genuine sense of family is cultivated. Her experiences indicate that the home/away/home pattern’s role is to narrate the abnormal sequence of childhood life.

The home/away/home pattern explores characters’ experiences when exposed to new people, places or actions. The design is essential is exploring children stories where characters are introduced to new concepts, and they learn to understand and appreciate both the recent occurrences and themselves better. At first, Coraline feels uncomfortable in her new home. However, she discovers her new world is more interesting than her own. Coraline discovers this situation after unlocking a bricked door that connects them to another unoccupied flat despite several warnings (Kmiecik, 15). The other mother cooks delicious food, which she enjoys. Both of Coraline’s other parents pay great attention to her and appreciates this occurrence. She realizes that her toy box contains toys capable of moving and flying, and this situation fascinates her. Moreover, she discovers that the other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are ever acting, which excites her. Coraline finds that the black cat that roams around the real-world house can talk. These experiences of Coraline indicates the essence of home/away/pattern in the literature to investigate occurrences of children when exposed to the new environment and how they develop the skills of appreciating the current circumstances.

Moreover, the home/away/home pattern’s essence is to explain stories about a series of confrontations and challenges in a strange and unfamiliar environment. People who reside in such an environment have had experiences and occurrence that changed their attitude towards the place (Sardella-Ayres, 34). In Coraline novel, Mr Bobo warns Coraline against going past a small door bricked up. His confrontations with Coraline suggests that he has undergone dangerous occurrences on opening the same door, a situation that changed his attitude and perception towards that flat.  Coraline ignores the warning, opens the door and enters into a new world. This situation brings woes to her as well as her birth parents. Her other mother offers to sew buttons into her eyes if she agrees to forever live in a different world. Coraline gets terrified and returns to her natural home, where she discovers that her birth parents are absent (SEE, 93). The black cat takes her to a mirror where she sees her parents have been held captive. This situation indicates the challenges of moving into the unfamiliar surroundings. Coraline brings woes not only to herself but also to her parents. Moreover, Coraline returns to her other world to challenge and deal with the other mother for trapping her birth parents. Unfortunately, she is locked in a tiny space as a sign of castigation. Indeed, home/away/home pattern is critical in explaining dwellings’ challenges in a strange and unusual surrounding.

Home/away/home patterns in literature are pivotal in outlining and focusing on central themes based on adult concerns on what young children are and how they should think or see themselves. Coraline is an explorer, intelligent and courageous. She uses her wits to overcome the obstacles of the other mother. Moreover, she courageously rescues her parents. Coraline intelligently proposes a play to the other mother.  She suggests that if she finds the ghost children’s souls and her birth parents, then the other mother should set them free. On losing, Coraline agrees that the other mother will be allowed to insert buttons in her eyes. Fortunately, Coraline cleverly prevails over the other mother’s impediment using Miss Spink’s protection stone in finding the souls of the children and her parents.  She throws the cat at her, snatches the snow globe and shuts the door forcefully on the other mother, escaping to the real world. Her birth parents are freed. Coraline dreams about meeting the children at an event. They warn her that the other mother will get the key that opens the door between the two worlds. Coraline disposes the key into an old well, and unfortunately, the other mother slips and falls into the well in her attempt to seize the key.

Conclusion

Home/away/home pattern is essential in narrating children’s stories fundamentally when their usual order of childhood life is reversed or disrupted. In Coraline novel, a new home environment makes Coraline Jones uncomfortable and unhappy due to the disruption of her regular order of life. Moreover, home/away/home pattern is critical in exploring characters’ new experiences when exposed to new surroundings, making them fully understand the occurrences and themselves better. Coraline is pleased in the new world since her other mother cooks delicious food, and the other parents grant her much attention. Indeed, the home/away/home pattern is essential in exploring the occurrences of Coraline and how she develops skills of adapting to the new environment.  Moreover, the home/away/home pattern outlines Coraline’s characters: courage, intelligence, and curiosity.

Works-Cited

Kmiecik, Kamila. “The other space. Neil Gaiman’s Coraline as horror story. Analysis of the setting.” (2017).

Sardella-Ayres, Dawn, and Ashley N. Reese. “Where to from Here?: Emerging Conversations on Girls’ Literature and Girlhood.” Girlhood Studies 13.1 (2020): 33-49.

See, Reasons To. “Coraline (2009): Lost in Adaptation?.” Gender In 21st Century Animated Children’s Cinema: 93.