Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Introduction
A book published in Britain and America in 2008, is a young fantasy published novel by Neil Gaiman, an English author. It traces the story of the boy. Nobody commonly referred to as Bod Owens who was adopted and raised by supernatural occupants of the graveyard. The incident occurred after the brutal murder of his parent (Gaiman, 14). The graveyard book is essential in its depiction of settings, title symbolism, characters and characterization in addition to the initiated figures of speech and literary techniques. It is a Children’s fantasy horror fiction novel with themes such as Death, Community, Good vs Evil, youth, memory and the past, compassion and forgiveness and the supernatural among others (Gaiman, 124). The goal of this essay is to provide an analysis of the Graveyard book paying close attention to the author’s attitude, mood and tone.
The Meaning of the Graveyard Book Title and the Setting
Gaiman uses his imagination to transform an idea into something polished or different. The title, which is short and on point, calls further for the attention of the setting. The title is seen mysterious, especially to the reader who has not had a glimpse of the book. The title of the book denotes conflict between the living and the death. Bod, who feels a connection both with the human world and graveyard, comes into conflict with himself. There is an internal conflict as he yearns to know in-depth about the cemetery and the living in addition to having a battle with Jack, who continuously tries to kill him.
The setting of the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is in the Graveyard in Old Town. Somewhere in England to the present date and that is why the story is given the title, the Graveyard because that is where it was set. For one to get to the Graveyard, he or she has to go to Old Town in England and walk up the hill (Gaiman 135). That is where Bod, meaning Nobody is raised. He even manages to enter in places where he is not supposed to have registered such as The World of the Ghouls
Characters and Characterization in Graveyard Book
The significant characters involved by Neil Gaiman in his book is Bod (“Nobody”), Owens, his parents, Liza Hempstock, Silas, Miss Lupescu and Jack (The murderer). Nobody Owens commonly referred to as Bod is a normal body who lives in the graveyard, raised by the ghosts, a guardian who belongs to the world of the living and dead. Mr Owens and Mrs Owens, on the other hand, are Bod’s parents, including the time they have been in the graveyard. They are married for 250 years.
Jack of All Trade is the guy who kills Bod’s parents with a sharp knife and wanted to do the same for Bod. Jack of All Trade is top-secret groups called as brotherhood. Lastly, Silas is a vampire. He doesn’t go out during the day, sleep in the coffin that eats one type of food, and avoid rains as he can’t stand running water. Additionally, he has no reflection and therefore states as being both living and dead (Gaiman, 75). The mood of the Graveyard Book is however creepy as witnessed in Horror Movies. Minor characters in the Graveyard Book include Perkins, The Sleer, The Indigo Man, Mr Pennyworth and Leticia Burrows.
Literary Devices in Graveyard Book
Symbolism and Imagery
Angels found in the graveyard symbolizes spirituality. They are guarding the tomb, and the connect man and God as they serve as messengers. In some incidences, they are shown carrying the deceased in their arms as if escorting or taking them to heaven. At times the angles are seen weeping. They symbolize grief, especially when mourning the death of the loved ones. Bod symbolizes the weak that are left with no choice but to try and adapt even when their parents have died.
One can visualize the different images taking place while reading the Graveyard Book. The image of Jack continually trying to murder Bod is pictured. Additionally, there is a visual image of Bod interacting with the living and the dead in the grave to extend that he gets lost in the graveyard and saved by his guarding Silas (Prescott &Tara, 207). One can also picture the dreadful incidences when Bod experiences internal conflict in his ability to adapt both in living and non-living creatures.
Themes in the Graveyard Book
Theme of Death
We tend to see and understand imaginary pictures of the living and the death in Graveyard Book. In as much as it doesn’t often happen, the tricky boundaries between the dead and living are high emphasized by Neil. Bod is a particular case which as he can walk between the boards of living and dead. He primarily can see as well as talk to death. Throughout the story, Bod is connecting the readers with afterlife experiences. That people exist as ghosts, and regardless of the time of day, the place they are buried serves as the central end (Miller, Jennifer, 135). However, the dead don’t haunt the graveyard. Instead, it is nothing next to scary as they only mind their daily business. Neil Gaiman strives to make death sound like an ordinary thing; something beautiful. One gets to be united with all of their dead people as friends and families are happy together. Generally, people in the graveyard thinks that life is unique. However, they want Bod to experience living life before he also passes away happily.
Theme of Community
The saying, “it takes a village to raise a child” depicts the connection between the living and the dead who raise the children. Bod is built by everyone in the community even though; it is a unique community; the graveyard. The graveyard it is and, in as much as Mr and Mrs Owens are defined as parents to Bod, the entire graveyard votes on whether to take Bod in or not. In other words, taking care of Bod is a community project and Bod receives lessons from and advises from the ghosts. Silas, for instance, serves as Bod’s guardian in addition to mentoring him who is later joined by Miss Lupescu. Bod is fixed to the supernatural world of the living and death. He loves the way the community raises him and at the same time would want to fit in the society of the living.
The theme of Good vs Evil and Youth
An issue that forces us to think about good and evil is highly incorporated in Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Many of the right people are considered supernatural in as much as information is found that creatures will often consider having a bad reputation. The mummies, vampires and werewolves are good as opposed to the likes of Jack of All Trades to Maureen Quilling, who is a bully Marcello (Giovanelli, 120). However, the characters have a choice to make; to either choose between good and evil.
On the other hand, the theme of Youth, as initiated in Graveyard by Neil Gaiman, helps us to understand the magic of childhood throughout the novel. Bod’s childhood is like the rest of the kids’ life and that he enjoys the rest of the adventures. Spending time with supernatural creatures, according to Bod, is enjoyable. Supernatural realms and romps take all of his time, and he is merely concerned with formal education. His head is fixed to the past, which he happens to learn more about every day.
In conclusion, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a compelling novel which entertains the reader in its ability to incorporate unique character. Gaiman uses different characters such as Bod and his parents to depict the relationship the living have with the death. He further goes ahead, Gaiman, by involving different themes that are some of the significant concerns happening to the society such as death, good and evil as well as supernatural ideologies. In his ability to make the book entertaining, he uses elements of literary devices such as symbolism, imagery in addition to figures of speech such as alliteration. Its structure facilitates the fantasy of the fictional world.
Works Cited
Gaiman, Neil. Graveyard book. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, (2018): 3-138.
Giovanelli, Marcello. “Construing the child reader: A cognitive stylistic analysis of the opening to Neil Gaiman’s The graveyard book.” Children’s Literature in Education 49.2 (2018): 180-195.
Miller, Jennifer L. “Neil Gaiman in the 21 st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children’s Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works.” (2016): 137-139.
Prescott, Tara. “The King of Stories: Neil Gaiman’s Twenty-First-Century Fiction.” Twenty-First-Century Popular Fiction (2018): 66-209.