It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

Behind every great book are great themes that paint a picture of the ideas the writer is attempting to being across. The Graveyard Book is no different. Neil Gaiman not only tells a story about a boy being raised by ghosts in a graveyard but also gives an important message about the importance of family in a growing child’s life. Bod would not survive long outside the graveyard without The Man Jack eventually catching up to him. If it was not for the assistance of the graveyard folks Bod would have been killed by the man Jack. Gaiman makes a contrast between being raised by a parent or two versus an entire family. He does this by introducing Scarlett in the second chapter then reintrod ucing her in chapter seven. Bod is at an advantage since he has an entire support system contributing to his life in different ways. Bod’s graveyard family offers him protection, love and support in many ways.
Throughout the progression of The Graveyard Book, the reader is able to see that Bod is well loved by his graveyard family. When Bod’s parents are killed, he is left with an uncertain future until he wanders into the graveyard. At first, the graveyard was not very accepting of Bod being a part of their close nit community. The graveyard congress eventually decides to keep the boy in the graveyard. As Bod grows, so does the love the graveyard folks have for him. The graveyard offers Bod just what he needs- a family to care for him.
Bod is given the privilege of being raised by an entire extended family. It is not your typical breathing family but they play a huge role in Bod’s survival. The typical child is raised by a parent or two and rarely a whole extended family. Gaiman introduces Scarlet in the second chapter to zoom in on the life of a child growing up with a parent or two versus the life of a child being raised by a whole extended family. Scarlet appears to be lonely in caparison to Bod. Her parents are always busy and she feels