Slathbog's Gold Figurative Language

Alex wonders what a different life would be like; he never imagined that his life could actually change. Slathbog’s Gold by M.L. Forman is a good book because it is interesting and has a captivating plot. The theme of Slathbog’s Gold is that everything can change when you least expect it. Alex is a good person, but his character traits might betray him. M.L. Forman uses many literary devices to make this story better. He builds on his caricatures all through the book. In the book Slathbog’s Gold there are many parts that we can learn something from.
Alex wished for a different life. He learns about adventures. He makes friends and defeats enemies during the adventure. The end goal is to defeat Slathbog the red. Alex goes to exotic lands and makes many new friends.
He learns about courage, honor, friendship, and integrity. He learns that he has the possibility of training to be a wizard. His honor has been increased in many ways. Alex defeats the dragon and as he goes home, he realizes that it will be hard to leave his friends. Alex learns about his history. He learns that his dad was an adventurer.
As an adventurer, Alex learns that everything can change when you least expect it. “It had been a normal day when he wished for a life different from the one he had known, a life of adventure. Yes, it had been a day like every other day he could remember –before he became an adventurer (Forman, p. 2).” This is the theme because in many instances things for Alex changed very rapidly. The first was when he became an adventurer. The second was when he learned that he could be a wizard. Another big one is when he learns his first magic because that prepared him for most of the rest of the adventure, and there are many others. All of them lead up to the end when he killed the dragon and changed his life forever. This feels like a theme because it happened throughout the story. Being loyal can either be a good or a bad thing. The protagonist is Alex, and his greatest weakness is loyalty. He puts himself in danger many a time for his friends. One example that this is a weakness is after he fought the troll. In the book Alex, “...took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He told them how Sharee’s terrified whinny had called to him, and how he felt he must follow, even though he knew he shouldn’t leave the camp (Forman, pp. 101-102).” Many times Alex helps his friends, even though he knew the danger like when he called Tayo back from The Wall. Being loyal is good although it has gotten Alex in trouble like when he fought the troll he got punished for it. In the book Brengest says, “‘...As punishment for disobeying orders, Alex you forfeit your extra share of any treasure found with the troll or in it’s lair. You will still receive an equal share, as agreed upon in the Adventurer’s Bargain, but even though you defeated the troll in single combat, you will not have the honor of dividing this treasure (Forman, pp. 1020-103).’” Even when Alex knew that something was foolish he stayed loyal to his friends like when they were entering the dragon’s cave. Alex thought, “Foolish,... That was a good word for what they were about to do. Foolish or incredibly brave, he couldn’t decide which. It didn’t really matter though, because Alex knew he would go into the dark cave with his friends (Forman, p. 309).”
M.L.
Forman used a lot of figurative language and imagery. One time he used figurative language was when he was describing Vergland, “Everything looked brown and dead, like open fields after a long winter (Forman, p. 81).” This was a good way to describe this part of the story because it gives you a clear description of what it looked like where they were traveling through and why they needed all the supplies that they had. Another example of figurative language is allusion. This is used in the book when Skild says, “I plan to have as much fun as I can before I cross the wall (Forman, p. 209).” This is a good way to tell that part because they are talking about death in a roundabout way and the fact that life goes on after death. The author uses imagery very well when he describes what they see when they first see the city of Varlo, “Most of the buildings were short and brown, their walls cracked and bulging (Forman, p. 193).” This was a good way to describe the city because it gives you a picture of what the adventurers saw when they rode up to the city wall. The description of the city helped later in the story as well as at that part because it showed readers how desolate the town was at that
point.
Slathbog’s Gold is a superior book with good characters and great lessons. These characters are interesting. M.L Forman builds on the characters throughout the story. He uses much figurative language and imagery to build the story. M.L. Forman makes fictional writing come to life to feel like the events could be real. He makes the protagonist have a realistic weakness that is easy to relate to. This book is adventurous and would be good for both young and older audiences. Slathbog’s Gold is a well written, engaging book.