Coraline Symbolism

The content of literature comes in many forms. Various individuals believe that literature must portray reality in order to have an impact, however, others disagree. For instance, as once stated by English writer E.M. Forster, "A work of literature must provide more than factual accuracy or vivid physical reality... it must tell us more than we already know." The theory behind this quote is that works of literature do not necessarily have to completely exhibit only realistic and truthful subject matter in order to be meaningful. The truth behind these words are supported in the novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and the novella Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Details and formal features of both of these texts reinforce the ideas vocalized by Forster. …show more content…
While symbolism is heavily threaded throughout the text, one symbol is very prominent at the novel's ending - the icicle that kills Harvey. For large amounts of the story, Susie struggles with whether to continue to pursue her desire to seek retribution against her murderer or to do what's best for her remaining family. Part-way through the novel, Susie makes a reference to what she calls an "old game" in heaven, a game titled How to Commit the Perfect Murder. When speaking of choosing a weapon for the game, Susie states, "I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away." In the end, while attempting to lure another victim, Mr. Harvey is struck by a falling icicle and tumbles to his death. While the reader is left open to interpret whether or not the icicle is dislodged by Susie's ghostly interference from the afterlife in order to prevent Harvey from harming anyone ever again or if it's just a strange coincidence, icicle can represent Susie's true desire that she's states at the beginning of the novel: for Harvey to be dead and for her to be living. While Susie can never have this specific wish, she is still victorious in end as a result of Harvey being killed in a freak accident. As Susie's quote about the icicle earlier in the novel hints towards her being involved in Harvey's death, this symbolism of the icicle shows another aspect of the novel that does not completely depict reality, as …show more content…
What lies beyond the door seems to represent everything Coraline wishes for in life - her 'other' parents pay attention to her, she loves the food her family makes and, most importantly, she finds the world interesting. However, Coraline is then faced with a choice - stay with her 'other' parents and sew buttons into her eyes or go home to her real parents who reside in a world she finds boring. Terrified of the idea of replacing her eyes with buttons, Coraline returns home only to find that her parents have been kidnapped by the Other Mother. This event introduces two major themes of the story, love and bravery. Coraline's own love for her parents gives her the motivation to return to the parallel world, despite being scared, in order to rescue her parents. Using the books fantasy elements, Gaiman gives Coraline the opportunity to define bravery in her own terms, which she defines as, “..when you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's [bravery].”

In conclusion, Forster's ideas ring true in many works of literature found in history and continue to today. These two examples of Sebold and Gaiman's work both strengthen the idea that meaningful literature is found in many forms – not just in ways that factually accurate or that portray reality. Works such as these show us that accuracy is not the most important part of writing, but instead, giving the reader a significant

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