The Gathering

The Gathering is a novel written by Isobelle Carmody. The Gathering is a novel about a group of children who defeat Mr Karle, the evil leader of a group called the Gathering. I believe that the Gathering is about the triumph between good and evil but also about the self-discovery of different characters. The definition of triumph is “the fact of being successful or victorious.” The definition of self-discovery means “the process of acquiring insight into one’s own character.” The characters, Nathanial, Indian and Nissa are all a part of getting rid of the evil in Cheshunt but also learn something new about themselves along the way.
Nathanial arrives in Cheshunt feeling like an outcast and a misfit but soon finds out that he is a part of a group called the calling. As a part of the calling he discovers things about himself and his past, many of these things were a big shock to him but the most shocking thing to Nathanial was finding out the truth about his father. “Children should be seen and not heard,” (pg 247) is something Nathanial’s father said they day they went to the zoo. Nathanial was too young to recall what happened but when his mother told him, he realized the reason his father never replied to him was because he didn’t like Nathanial. Nathanial discovered his father was abusive and tried to kill him. His father was the reason Nathanial and his mother kept moving. The quote shows that Nathanial’s father really didn’t care for him. Although at the start of the novel Nathanial wished his father hadn’t left, after finding out the truth Nathanial was glad he did. If Nathanial’s father didn’t leave then his mother wouldn’t have been drawn back to Cheshunt and Nathanial wouldn’t have been a part of the calling. Nathanial discovered something about his past that he never would have expected.
Indian is a character who seems tough but in reality he wouldn’t hurt a fly. This is because when he was younger he wasn’t watching his sister and she fell of a slide