Coming of Age and Finding Oneself
Coraline, Neil Gaiman’s best-known book for children, spans many genres. At once a work of children’s literature, fantasy, and horror, Coraline is also a coming-of-age tale. As the young Coraline Jones traverses a twisted, terrifying realm which mirrors—and corrupts—her own world, her skills as a self-proclaimed “explorer” are put to the ultimate test. Throughout the book, Gaiman positions Coraline’s journey through the world of her “other mother”—an evil entity in disguise as…
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Parents and Children
When Coraline Jones finds herself frustrated with her parents and yearning for their attention, she is, at the height of her unhappiness, presented with a world in which a set of “other” parents has been waiting to lavish her with attention, cook her all her favorite foods, and cater to her every whim. Coraline’s other parents are also, however, evil entities with black buttons for eyes who “kidnap” her real parents and hold them…
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Home and the Familiar
When Coraline Jones and her parents move to a new house in a new town, Coraline finds herself bored, unimpressed, and perhaps even a bit scared by her new surroundings. When Coraline is, however, plunged into a twisted alternate version of her new house—a kind of “web” created by the other mother in hopes of ensnaring her—she refuses to be fooled by a cheap imitation of the place she is learning to call home. As…
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Fear and Bravery
When Coraline Jones finds herself trapped in the alternate realm created by her sinister other mother, she is very scared indeed. As the world the other mother has created twists, shifts, and grows more and more horrific by the hour, Coraline’s fear mounts—but so, too, does her belief that what she most needs to do is be brave, even if she doesn’t feel particularly courageous in the face of the other mother’s arsenal of…
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