Preview

Coraline

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2495 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Coraline
Samantha Vraa
3/2/09
English 1106

Coraline is a horrific children’s book that was produced into a movie in 2009. Written by Neil Gaiman, the book was published in 2003 as juvenile fiction. Gaiman’s twisted ingenious mind has even frightened adult readers. This creepy fairy tale clearly draws much of its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. What started out as a children’s novel became a hit movie in theaters. What is so spectacular about Coraline may be the colorful characters, the unexpected turn of events within the story, or the fact that it is the first stop(Stop?) animation movie to be viewed in 3-D. The combination of Gaiman’s story with Selick’s (who is Selick? Producer?) talent for movie presentation has made Coraline a remarkably entrancing and horrifying fairy tale for both readers and movie watchers as they experience the entrancing adventure of a little girl who learned the price of opening a door that was not meant to be opened. Before Coraline hit the big screen it made an everlasting impression as a children’s horrific fairytale. It turns out that Coraline’s name came about because Neil Gaiman kept messing up spelling Caroline. Reading Coraline makes it easy for the first time readers to relate to her character when they think back to their current or past adolescence. Most people would admit to times in their young lives when they were relentless pessimists and complainers, who acted bored and coughed up attitudes on a daily basis. Everyone could share Coraline’s plight when they had felt that there was nothing to do in a new house and were reluctant to meet new people. Viewers and readers alike have also felt a special connection between her family and their own. Children always think about what the perfect mother would be like, and parents also try to be the best for their children. However, both age groups try to imagine something better. Unlike Coraline, no one had ever found a mysterious small door in the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    As a result of her discovery, Coral gains sight and knowledge when she is awakened from her slumber by Tom at the amateur night. After the death of her son in the Vietnam War, Coral was emotionally disconnected from reality. This is evident at the play of A Midsummer Night’s Dream when Coral explains in her soliloquy that she was “sitting there in the dark wiping away tears”. Coral feeling emotional at a humorous play makes it clear how trapped in her grief she is. At the Gold Coast Luxury Hotel, Coral speaks to Rick and says “Come into the dark, give me your hand..a boy like you”. The dialogue conveys that Coral is delusional and is trying to envision Rick as her son by inviting him into the dark. By doing so, it highlights her deep loss for her son and need for a discovery to accept her son’s death. Coral gains sight into the real world, and knowledge that she can continue on with her life at the amateur night. During the play within a play, The Stranger on the Shore, Tom helps Coral to find her legs and walk, in a metaphorical and literal sense. This is Coral’s release from her grief, back into the real world. This gain of sight and knowledge leads to the idea that discovery can challenge the individual,…

    • 939 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gifted author of Fish Cheeks, Amy Tan, assures young girls that being different is not only acceptable, but also advantageous. Rhetorical strategies-such as imagery, tone, diction, and appeals (logos, ethos, pathos)-were the brushes with which she painted a portrait of self-acceptance for teenage girls everywhere. Tan uses a sympathetic tone to relate to the awkward teenage reader that is experiencing the same thing and the nostalgic adult reader that has experienced.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Other Wes Moore

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages

    (Warning: This novel contains some explicit language. If this is an issue for you or your child, please contact the English Department Chair at karthur@bcps.org to discuss. An alternate assignment can be created.)…

    • 1687 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dead parents are extremely common in young adult literature, and although these characters are obviously absent throughout the story, they are still relevant and necessary to the plot because of the effect they have on their children. Because “dead parents are so much a function of middle-grade and teen fiction at this point,” it is no surprise that Collins sets up the Everdeen family with one parent deceased (Sales). However, instead of viewing deceased parents as enhancing the plot of a YA novel and adding to its complexity, many authors see dead parents as the product of “lazy writing” (Sales). These authors claim that since novels are centered on different characters’ relationships with one another, omitting a parent via death is simply…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the age of ten, most children are dependent on their parents for everything in their lives needing a great deal of attention and care. However, Ellen, the main character and protagonist of the novel Ellen Foster, exemplifies a substantial amount of independence and mature, rational thought as a ten-year-old girl. The recent death of her mother sends her on a quest for the ideal family, or anywhere her father, who had shown apathy to both she and her fragile mother, was not. Kaye Gibbons' use of simple diction, unmarked dialogue, and a unique story structure in her first novel, Ellen Foster, allows the reader to explore the emotions and thoughts of this heroic, ten-year-old girl modeled after Gibbons' own experiences as a young girl.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the transitions between the real world and the supposed liking world it got confusing because in one part of the book of Coraline was when Coraline went into the supposed perfect world but also turns out Coraline’s other mother being evil and not just that she also trapped the children's soul and also as she was walking with…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Felicia Day's Book Report

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The author, Felicia Day, gives many context clues to help the reader come to this decision. Diction, or the word choice, influence this since Day uses slang and an informal tone that will attract young adult readers. The figurative language and rhetoric of the book also point to teens and young adults as the audience, by comparing things to pop culture that is typical in their…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sea Horse Sparknotes

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Psychoanalytical Literary Analysis of Chris Butterworth’s Story “Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea” When parents send their children to school, they expect the school to condition their kids to fit societal expectations. Most parents would be disappointed if their children failed to learn different social skills like cooperation, collaboration, and sharing while at school because elementary school is a prime atmosphere for children to develop their understanding of the world. An influential part of a child’s development of real-world skills comes from children’s books because books offer unique perspectives while also enriching children’s vocabulary and literary skills, enhancing their comprehension, and streamlining their communication skills. Children’s books are one of the first places…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    novel, A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove, depicts the coming-of-age of an ordinary teenage boy named Carl Matt. Through the experiences of the protagonist Carl and other characters, Maloney highlights every human being’s deepest need for love and acceptance and demonstrates the significance of understanding where one belongs. Coming from a broken home, Carl and his brother Harley have never experienced the safety and security of a loving and wholesome family, which damages Carl’s sense of self-worth and causes Harley to become a rebellious delinquent. However, through the unconditional love and tenderness shown by Joy and Skip Duncan and by Justine, Carl and Harley are able to find healing and are finally liberated from the pain, fear, and insecurity caused by their past. Maddy Duncan also learns the importance of accepting true love. Although she is from a stable family, she is deceived by the distorted and selfish ‘love’ of Nathan Trelfo and unbeknownst to her, she becomes a miserable person. It is only when she understands who genuinely loves and cares for her that she finds true happiness.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Uncanny Analysis

    • 1823 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Similar to Freud’s essay, Gaiman’s novel, Coraline, as well as the film, The Shining, both…

    • 1823 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Often written for children, traditional fairytales are fictitious works with magical qualities. However, “The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter and The Princess Bride by William Goldman, are no traditional fairytales. Although both poses the fictitious qualities and traits of traditional fairytales, neither work can be considered as being written for children. The use of violence in sex, pornographic imagery, and the objectification of women show that the stories are intended for mature readers.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Later, the boy’s family gets a new nanny. Ursula Monkton is adored by the boy’s sister, but he can tell that there is something unnatural about her. He and the Hempstocks soon conclude that she is a monster from another world. As keen as the narrator is to accept this, his parents are not. In the novel, the boy makes futile attempts to explain who, or what, Ursula Monkton really is to both his mother and his father, providing another example of how adults would never be able to believe such a phenomenal concept, no matter how much proof they are given. When the boy tries to explain, not only does he sound completely crazy, but he also challenges the stable, simple world his parents believe they live in. Looking at Ursula Monkton, it’s hard for them to believe she could be bad, let alone an evil supernatural monster. Throughout the story, Gaiman makes a stark contrast between the various versions of reality between a child and his parents. This results in a theme that teaches and challenges us to be more like children, to open our minds to new perspectives and look at the world in a different…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Coraline Symbolism

    • 98 Words
    • 1 Page

    Coraline is a dark, animated fairytale but there is much more to be told. There are many themes throughout the movie but the one that plays the biggest role is that material things will not bring you happiness. It is the main theme that guides Coraline through the movie and is shown through many symbols and scenes. We see Coraline start out as materialistic but change throughout the course of the film. By examining the symbolism of colors in the movie, the characters and Coraline herself we see that this is the most important theme in the…

    • 98 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Quotes For Coraline

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Page

    Coraline is a book that I would (and I probably will, buhahahaha) recommend to anyone who enjoys a good dark-ish story with a releatable protagonist and some nice and a bit weird characters. I would definitely label it just as a children's book, because it has much more to it. It is clever, wicked and some of the quotes (loads of them made it into my actual quote book where I gather my favourite lines from all the books I read) will live with me forever.…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    So she goes exploring the house and finds a mysterious locked door, when her mother opens the door it is nothing but bricks. One day when she is bored she opens the door again but this time the door reveals a dark corridor leading into flat just like her own. She comes across a person that looks like her mother but as she draws closer she can see that this women is not her mother at all. This women as long red fingernails and paper skin and her eyes are buttons. She soon discovers that her farther and her neighbors in this other world also have buttons for eyes. Coraline likes this other world more than hers it is more intresting for her. Her other parents say she can stay forever she just has to exchange her eyes for button eyes. Coraline refuses and runs back to her own world. When she gets back her parents are no longer their she wait’s a day for them but they never return. Then she sees her parents in the mirror and she realizes she has to go back to the other world to rescue them. Back in the other mothers world Coraline does not want to love her other mother and she is punished by getting thrown in the hallway mirror. Where she meets 3 ghost children. When Coraline falls asleep one ghost tells her to look through the stone she had in her pocket. The next day Coarline uses the stone in a game against the…

    • 2089 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics