In the
book Coraline by Neil Gaiman a little girl called Coraline Jones goes through a
story that some children might never imagine going through. This little girl
has to overcome tough situations and all alone. Even though this seems so real
and by the way she describes what is going on she appears to have dreamed it
all. The lack of attention and more love from her parents takes her to dream of
a world where she would have a mother that would be what she wanted but too
much. This leads her to understand why she must accept her parents the way they
are. Coraline’s mother tells her of a door in their apartment that leads
nowhere and I believe this is what leads Coraline to dream of another world
with her other mother and father from just passing through that door.
Even though this girl
appears to be about seven years old because of her need to explore and stand
out, she is very smart. According to the book What Story Are You Living by
Carol S. Pearson and Hugh K. Marr, there are twelve different archetypes that people
have. These archetypes are like common features that a person may have, strong
or low qualities may be shown through a specific archetype. According to Pearson in “Archetypal Stages of
the Journey” (P.15-16) there are archetypes that can develop in the journey a
person has. In Coraline I see this happening to her as she goes through her own
journey.
The archetype of the
seeker is of a person who explores, enjoys journeys and always finds the need
to discover new things or places. This person would enjoy traveling or going
through a discovering phase. For example he/she might explore his/her own
thoughts to understand something better to keep exploring in the future.
Nothing is ever enough for a seeker, they have to constantly be into new things
after one becomes boring.
The archetype of the
warrior is of a person that overcomes different obstacles. He/she is strong and
willing to fight the enemy to win. They will be the hero to those that less
week or without courage and he/she will lead them to victory. A warrior is able
to overcome any obstacles that are in their way to achieve a goal or an endpoint.
They can become a warrior when a situation leads them to become brave and
triumphant.
Coraline has the
archetype of the seeker from the beginning but develops the warrior archetype.
These archetypes help Coraline overcome the problems she is faced in the other
world. This world that is so similar but she knows it is not home and that she
has to everything possible to go back.
Coraline starts and
ends the journey as seeker but the warrior is developed by her way of trying to
achieving her goal to leave the other world and save her parents and the
children. The parents of Coraline are supposedly in a snow globe because the
other mother had to keep them away from Coraline so that she would stay with
them. The other mother is very loving and caring to a point where it becomes
like smothering. Coraline finds these three children that are trapped by the
other mother and this encourages Coraline to become brave and strong. While she
becomes brave she is finding ways around the other mother to deceive her and
make fail to keep her there like the children. The dream Coraline is in is
filled with her fears because Coraline knows she would not like to be
completely alone but she feels this way due her working parents. They are home
but she feels as if they aren’t because they are busy and tell her to find something
to do which is actually a form of letting her discover herself. This makes
Coraline be intelligent in ways she does not even know of.
In the other world the
cat speaks to her and he helps her by guiding her to discover her possibility
to beat the other mother from keeping her in this world. The cat makes Coraline
think by saying witty things such as, “I wouldn't put it past her…Like I said
there’s no guarantee she’ll play fair.” (P.149) The cat is telling Coraline of
how the other mother would not be sweet as she wants to appear to be to
Coraline because she is actually mean. The other mother wants to harm Coraline
and will do anything to try to keep her with her forever.
In order to get Coraline to stay with her the
other mother lets her leave at one point to go home but when she gets home
there is no one there. Coraline did not know at that point that the other mother
had let her out but hid her real parents somewhere else so that she would
certainly have to come back and find them. This makes Coraline sad because she
feels more alone than ever but even though she gets to talk to the Miss Spink
and Miss Forcible she feels the need to have her real parents there. Coraline
finds the need to go back and save her parents from the other mother.
All the people that do
help Coraline trough this journey she faces are in a way her own other type of archetypes
that she has. Even though she is mostly a seeker Coraline goes through the need
of the journey that might just be what she needs in order go on in life as she
gets older.
The children that
Coraline supposedly saw and had a picnic at the end are like her own images of
what could have happened to her if she would have not become strong and brave.
That if Coraline where to be weak and let the other mother lure her with all
the things she desired she would be another child trapped. While in reality it
is as if she would still feel incomplete because the love of her parents and their
attention to her is what she most needs. Coraline would still be thinking as if
she is neglected by them when they are just working and have to get adjusted to
the new home. Within time they would show more attention and Coraline would understand
now that she has been through this actual journey.
With the witty remarks
of the cat and the other characters in the story Coraline develops a warrior
archetype and overcomes the other mother’s challenges. Coraline manages to free
the children and save her parents and escapes withe the cat. Even though the other
mother in a way comes into the other world Coraline manages to keep her in a
place where the other mother hand will not come out. Coraline learns that her
parents do love and care for her in their way and that that is fine with her.
Coraline knows what could happen if she was to have all she wants and learns
that everything happens for a reason. That the other mother was very loving to
her and that’s why she was not a good mother.
Coraline’s real mother
is everything she needs because she is real and has boundaries with Coraline so
that she will be able to know wrong from right. Coraline knew that the other
mother was wrong by wanting to give her everything she could have wanted from
food to clothing. Even though Coraline did not like her father’s food because they
were from ‘recipe’ he made it with love and that that was who her father was
and she’d learn to understand that. Accepting that her family is fine the way
they are.
The fact that Coraline
wanted to imagine that she was back in the dream with the other children is
because she wanted to feel as if she did go through this. Even though it was
all a dream and that she did need this to move on or mature in life.
This story is important
because I believe children do wish they had everything there heart desires but
not many understand why this cannot be. Some children may come to find out
while they are still young like Coraline or as they become more mature. He/she
can discover this journey any point in life. Every person will once figure out
why things sometimes aren't exactly what you want, that some may realize this
at a point when they have to. All have a time when they need to see the other
side of things to accept reality as it is just as Coraline did.
