Sinead Coleman
Professor Hatfield
English 312
27 April 2011
Rough Draft: Critical Essay
One of the various characteristics of children’s literature is the incorporation of a lesson. “Be careful what you wish for…” the ominous tagline from the movie version of Coraline. This tagline is part of the novel’s lesson that is forced upon the young reader. The same tagline could be used for those reading or watching Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. By integrating these lessons into children’s literature are we expecting children to grow up faster? The lesson that is incorporated into children’s literature raises issues, for the reason that children are expected to learn said lesson and apply it? In the novel Coraline by Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a lesson is taught, causing the reader to grow up and leave childhood behind.
The protagonist Coraline Jones is very similar to Alice the protagonist of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Both leading characters are strong female individuals both on the precipice of leaving childhood behind and entering the adult world, the two characters are pushed right over the threshold into adulthood by their experiences in the portal world. These characters are similar because they enter into a parallel world. Coraline enters a seemingly perfect world populated by all the people she knows and loves. Alice on the other hand travels down the Rabbit hole into Wonderland, a fantastical world filled with nonsensical creatures and characters. The reason that the characters are forced into adulthood is through their experiences in the fantasy world.
Coraline and Alice are alike because they have similar personalities and traits, and they are both looking for something more. Coraline like Alice is an explorer; she is intelligent, courageous, resourceful, and curious. Coraline and Alice are logical ladies but out of the two, Alice is the more logical girl. Alice is from the Victorian era and she has all the virtues that instilled in children, plus she is educated and she looks at her environment consists of clear, rational, and consistent rules and features. The logical side can be seen in both characters when they are talking to themselves, or talking to others.
The reason that Coraline and Alice travel into these parallel universes is because they are in search of something more and they are just plain bored. The protagonists are lead by other creatures into their prospective “other” worlds through fate and destiny. Coraline is bored at once because she has moved into a new house where all her neighbors are boring and her parents won’t spend time entertaining her. Coraline felt alone and had no human companions in this new house and its surroundings. Alice was bored too even though the reader is told that she has an older sister. She lives her life being a careful dainty girl. All Alice wanted was a little adventure and some freedom. Coraline is helped along towards the path to the other world by cat, mouse, and her silly neighbors. Coraline felt no disregard and deliberately disobeyed all those who had warned her about what was beyond the little door. Curiosity took over and Coraline traveled through the door into the parallel universe. Once in the portal she discovers that the portal led to an exact copy of her house. All the tenants were the same but they were all puppet like with buttons for eyes. This world is exciting and scary and Coraline had to explore this new world. Alice is led from the riverbank and her sister into a rabbit hole. She fell into the rabbit hole because while at the riverbank she sees a White Rabbit in a waistcoat that is checking a pocket watch. Alice is so curious and logical that she ran off in search of answers like where is the rabbit going, what is the rabbits name and why is the rabbit late? Destiny and fate are to blame because those were the driving force behind the girl’s disappearance into the alternate reality. Without the external push from the characters each girl might not have made it into the world and the story and lesson would be nonexistent.
While in the portal world each girl is confronted with issues that only adults deal with. These events are the catalyst that causes the jump from childhood to adulthood. The fact of the matter is that both girls encounter challenges and they learn and realize exactly what they want, and what is attainable in the real world. Coraline is confronted by the seemingly perfect world filled with parents who interact with her constantly, her toys have become more amusing and life that seems ideal. Alice enters into her seemingly ideal world because it is filled with new and interesting things unlike the real world where things are boring and logical. Both leads have to figure out how to deal with the elements that the portal world sends them. This type of adapting to the elements and not giving into the trickery is what sends them out of childhood because they can no longer be dependent they are forced to grow up and solve their own problems. Coraline has to realize that she doesn’t want this world that is being offered to her. Alice has to realize that she too doesn’t like this land called Wonderland. Both characters realize that they are happy enough in the real world and that they want to return to the real world and get out of the portal/ fantasy world.
The two similar characters are the children who are stuck in the portal world because they gave into the temptation of the Beldam and the Cheshire cat. Both of these characters relay information to the main character and protagonist. The children and the cat are helpful but they never take action they only just provide advice. Both characters heed the advice given by the children and the Cheshire cat. The children provide Coraline with insight into what the plan is of the Beldam and that she must leave. The Cheshire cat explains to Alice that Wonderland is a place filled with nonsensical creatures and that she is too logical and that is why she is the mad character and the other characters are not mad.. The cat points out that Alice’s behavior and burning curiosity set her apart from the other creatures in Wonderland.
*How they have learned from lesson and have completely grown up.
*Conclusion
PS even further revision will be posted shortly
No comments:
Post a Comment