Mrs Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Essay
Many themes come up while reading the whimsical novel, “Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” by Ransom Riggs, but one that occurs throughout the story, is Jacob’s will to keep searching. His adventurous childhood, due to his grandfather’s bizarre tales from his childhood, slowly faded away because of his father’s contradictions to the stories. But when Jacob turns sixteen, his grandfather’s last words haunt him, to the point where his spark for the childhood stories ignites once more.
Abraham (Abe) Portman, Jacob’s grandfather, lived a very interesting life. During his childhood, his parents sent him to an orphanage in Cairholms, Wales, to protect him from the “monsters” that were in Poland, his home country. He lived there with other children, who supposedly, had peculiar abilities. Once he decided to leave the orphanage to help fight in the war, it was discovered later that the home was bombed by a Nazi air strike. Grandpa Portman flew to America and …show more content…
started a family, telling his grandson, Jacob, who idolized him.
Eventually, Jacob got to the age where he ceased to believe in Grandpa Portman’s strange stories, thinking he just had dementia from his old age. When suddenly, while Jacob was at work, he got a call from his grandfather urgently asking where the key to his gun cabinet was, saying the “monsters” had found him. Jacob quickly left work to go check on him, only to find what seemed like someone had broken into his house. He soon discovered his grandpa laying in the woods near his house, with his eyes taken out of his head, still alive. His last words, “Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third, 1940,” then “Emerson- the letter. Tell the what happened, Yakob” (Ransom 23). After months of therapy, Jacob’s therapist decided it would be best for him to unearth the mysteries his grandfather left behind for him.
Upon their arrival in Cairholms, Jacob and his father check into their “hotel” and Jacob sets off to find the children's home. What he finds startles him, the home was decaying and abandoned. He sought help from the local museum owner who introduced him to his uncle who was alive back then to witness the bombing happen. He explains on September fourth, the bomb struck the building and that a young man about Jacob’s age was asking people if they knew about what had happened to the children in the home. He then goes on to say that there were no survivors. This didn't make sense to him, considering that the letter sent to his grandpa was delivered only five years ago. Nevertheless, Jacob went back to the home, despite what he had been told, determined to find out what his grandfather wanted him to uncover. This visit however, was much different from the first, he had found what, or rather, who he had been looking for; the children.
After Jacob and the unique children went through what is called a loop, which is where a Ymbryne, a rare type of peculiar that can manipulate time, “resets” a day.
Jacob uncovers that fact that he too, was a peculiar. “He could see the monsters. The moment she said it, all the horrors I thought I’d put behind me came flooding back. Thew were real. They ere real and they’d killed my grandfather. “I can see them too”, I told her, whispering it like a secret shame. Her eyes welled and she embraced me. I knew there was something peculiar about you” she said. “And I mean that as the highest compliment””(Riggs 243). Emma told Jacob, that his grandpa could see the monsters, which led to his confession of being able to see them. Emma was one of the peculiars who had been very close to Jacob’s grandpa during his stay at the home. Naturally her and Abe Portman’s grandson would grow close also. After learning about his peculiarity, Jacob was a huge help to eliminate the “monsters” his grandfather always spoke
of.
Trying to find the boss of the monster crew proved to be difficult, until they found a lead on how to find them. As dangerous as the plan was the peculiars were willing to risk their lives to stop the monsters from terrorizing any other children with special abilities and to get their headmistress back after being abducted to be used as an experiment to make the monsters human again. Jacob wasn’t one to fight, that just wasn’t him. So when his plan stumbled, he had to face Golan, the leader, and upon defeating what was thought to be the last monster, he was shocked that he actually killed something, that he saved multiple people. It was finally over, his grandfather would be proud.
Even though Jacob was skeptical of the stories, he still followed his wishes to “find the bird” and discovered something much to his surprise, the stories were real. He doubted himself many times and faced many hardships, but he kept going, for his grandfather’s sake. Throughout Jacob’s journey he gained many new friends and found love, all because he stayed determined.
Abraham (Abe) Portman, Jacob’s grandfather, lived a very interesting life. During his childhood, his parents sent him to an orphanage in Cairholms, Wales, to protect him from the “monsters” that were in Poland, his home country. He lived there with other children, who supposedly, had peculiar abilities. Once he decided to leave the orphanage to help fight in the war, it was discovered later that the home was bombed by a Nazi air strike. Grandpa Portman flew to America and …show more content…
started a family, telling his grandson, Jacob, who idolized him.
Eventually, Jacob got to the age where he ceased to believe in Grandpa Portman’s strange stories, thinking he just had dementia from his old age. When suddenly, while Jacob was at work, he got a call from his grandfather urgently asking where the key to his gun cabinet was, saying the “monsters” had found him. Jacob quickly left work to go check on him, only to find what seemed like someone had broken into his house. He soon discovered his grandpa laying in the woods near his house, with his eyes taken out of his head, still alive. His last words, “Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third, 1940,” then “Emerson- the letter. Tell the what happened, Yakob” (Ransom 23). After months of therapy, Jacob’s therapist decided it would be best for him to unearth the mysteries his grandfather left behind for him.
Upon their arrival in Cairholms, Jacob and his father check into their “hotel” and Jacob sets off to find the children's home. What he finds startles him, the home was decaying and abandoned. He sought help from the local museum owner who introduced him to his uncle who was alive back then to witness the bombing happen. He explains on September fourth, the bomb struck the building and that a young man about Jacob’s age was asking people if they knew about what had happened to the children in the home. He then goes on to say that there were no survivors. This didn't make sense to him, considering that the letter sent to his grandpa was delivered only five years ago. Nevertheless, Jacob went back to the home, despite what he had been told, determined to find out what his grandfather wanted him to uncover. This visit however, was much different from the first, he had found what, or rather, who he had been looking for; the children.
After Jacob and the unique children went through what is called a loop, which is where a Ymbryne, a rare type of peculiar that can manipulate time, “resets” a day.
Jacob uncovers that fact that he too, was a peculiar. “He could see the monsters. The moment she said it, all the horrors I thought I’d put behind me came flooding back. Thew were real. They ere real and they’d killed my grandfather. “I can see them too”, I told her, whispering it like a secret shame. Her eyes welled and she embraced me. I knew there was something peculiar about you” she said. “And I mean that as the highest compliment””(Riggs 243). Emma told Jacob, that his grandpa could see the monsters, which led to his confession of being able to see them. Emma was one of the peculiars who had been very close to Jacob’s grandpa during his stay at the home. Naturally her and Abe Portman’s grandson would grow close also. After learning about his peculiarity, Jacob was a huge help to eliminate the “monsters” his grandfather always spoke
of.
Trying to find the boss of the monster crew proved to be difficult, until they found a lead on how to find them. As dangerous as the plan was the peculiars were willing to risk their lives to stop the monsters from terrorizing any other children with special abilities and to get their headmistress back after being abducted to be used as an experiment to make the monsters human again. Jacob wasn’t one to fight, that just wasn’t him. So when his plan stumbled, he had to face Golan, the leader, and upon defeating what was thought to be the last monster, he was shocked that he actually killed something, that he saved multiple people. It was finally over, his grandfather would be proud.
Even though Jacob was skeptical of the stories, he still followed his wishes to “find the bird” and discovered something much to his surprise, the stories were real. He doubted himself many times and faced many hardships, but he kept going, for his grandfather’s sake. Throughout Jacob’s journey he gained many new friends and found love, all because he stayed determined.