Graveyard Book Themes

The Graveyard Book: A Novel Full of Fantasy
Deciding if a work literature is fantasy proves to be a daunting task for any scholar. There are plenty of elements, themes, and motifs that furnish the fantasy genre as a whole, and Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book without question encompasses a number of these. Through the lens of magic, the battle of good versus evil, and the presence of hope The Graveyard Book delivers a taste of fantasy literature, while also supporting the elements of the new mythology for global humanity by rediscovering harmony, bridging the past with the future.
Even a superficial glace at the text will prove to the reader that magic is present. Magic is evident in the fact that the ghosts are able to communicate with the living, and is also present in nearly every single important scene through the book, as first noted by the special attributes of the knifed used to kill Bod’s family (Gaiman 4). Time and time again magic proves its importance to the novel, and to the genre of fantasy. As Tamora Pierce said, “Most important of all in fantasy is that great equalizer between the powerful and the powerless: magic”
(Pierce 181). This is evidenced in the novel when Liza, the witch, makes Bod invisible (Gaiman 132), when Bod escapes Nick and Mo by fading (188), and when he gets away from the police (204). An argument can be made that without magic this novel would not be fantasy. The argument could be made that it would not even be a novel, for magic offers a medium for characters to interact when they otherwise would not be able to. Magic develops the characters and gives them cause. Magic gives an orphaned child a family. Another overarching theme in the novel, and fantasy literature is that of good versus evil.
In a perceptive analysis of Harry Potter, Melody Briggs and Richard S. Briggs offer an explanation of good versus evil being absolutely morally opposite (Briggs 33). This is entirely true to the core of The Graveyard Book. From the beginning of the novel the man Jack is seen as dark and evil, even the illustration on the first two pages is entirely black except for the knife visible in his had (Gaiman 1). While the novel waivers in between, it becomes clear that story will culminate with good and evil squaring off. This central theme correlates strongly with other fantasy such as the combat that Pierce addresses (Pierce 181). This enables the reader to anticipate the ending, and have some stake in the fight that is inevitably going to
ensue.
Hope is present in a number of instances in the novel. By focusing on the hope present in the relationship Bod forms with the dead people in the graveyard, a reader can discover the optimism that Pierce describes as central to the role of fantasy literature (Pierce 183). After his parents are killed a baby boy is taken in to be raised by a cast of dead characters that live in a graveyard (Gaiman 31). The child is then raised to be able to go and take on the real world by himself (307). Just by this short plot recap it is clear the novel does not follow the normal path of life. The abandon orphan is able to happily live his life as if he thinks it is the only way to live. Bod is hopeful for his future, and the reader becomes hopeful for bod. As touched on the novel supports the elements of the new mythology for global humanity. Rediscovering harmony is evident. When everything is supposed to go wrong, Bod is able to walk away ready to go off and live the rest of his life like any other teenage get has the change to do. Also rather clear is bridging the past with the future. By having the majority of his lessons come from members of the graveyard, Bod is able to grasp perspectives on various topics through the scope of people different people in history.
In the end, with magic, a clear good versus evil, and true hope, The Graveyard Book proves itself a complete work of fantasy. The novel hits on the emotions of the reader and makes them take a side. Fortunately, the correct side to choose becomes clear.