Coraline: A Journey into The Other World

A Dark and Enthralling Fairy Tale

 A Hauntingly Delightful Tale

 Coraline by Neil Gaiman can best be described as a fantasy horror novel for children though it can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Appearing in the year 2002 this middle-grade novel is now regarded as a classic of children’s horror due to its atmospheric and inventive plot.

 Plot Summary

 The plot is built around a young girl Coraline Jones, who is moving into a strange house with her not very attentive parents. Getting lonely and as a result being bored, Coraline comes across a door and opens it to find herself in another world that feels the same as hers. But this other world belongs to her ‘other mother’ and ‘other father’ who although appear as cute as rabbits with button eyes are not as good as they seem.

 

 Suspense and Thrills

 There is tension throughout the movie from the time Coraline sets foot in the new house she moved into. There is no doubt to say that Gaiman does an excellent job in maintaining suspense while telling the story. It is pleasing to find the everyday and the eerie mixed in this way; the work has an enchanting and a sinister cast. Eerie and suspenseful full of twists and turns, this road shows Coraline’s attempt to run away from her Other Mother.

 

 Characters

 Coraline herself is one of the most remarkable and believable heroines – she is definitely brave, clever and persistent. Due to her cleverness and gallantry in the period of risk involved, she can be considered as a character with whom one could have a popular stake. Special attention should be paid to the major characters’ interactions with the rest of cast such as a mysterious talking cat, as well as the colorful and peculiar neighbors that lend not only a playful but also a sinister atmosphere to the movie.

 

 Themes and Imagery

 It is also important to note that all the major themes of the book, such as courage, unity, and self-discovery can be traced in Gaiman’s plot. The symbolic representations are well depicted involving the use of vivid nature, which in a way makes the readers understand Coraline’s world which is at the same time dreamlike as well as a nightmare. Unfortunately, it is a much darker book compared to Alice in Wonderland; however, it has Gaiman’s unpretentious anachronistic style to it.

 

 Final Thoughts

 I will state that I found Coraline to be be both interesting and exciting and therefore I highly recommend this book to readers interested in fantasy or horror. That is why when blended with suspense, extraordinary characters, and thought-provoking motif, it remains an epic story, which makes everyone interested in reading it. From a chilling Halloween night tale to a Magical Realism the novel takes one to unique world of imagination of Neil Gaiman.