Theme and Symbolism
By: Trey Laughlin
Embedded Files
The Graveyard Book explores death using literary conventions such as theme and symbolism. One of the main themes of The Graveyard Book is the importance of family and fate. Bod was able to escape to the graveyard after his family had been murdered. In most cases, the main setting and characters would be scary, evil, and wouldn’t be able to raise a baby. Yet, this book has ghosts, a vampire, a werewolf, and others at the graveyard all helping as a community to raise Bod. This book represents a new twist between Good vs. Evil and shows how the graveyard must work together to be able to raise and keep Bod safe from the outside world. Throughout the book, Bod becomes closer with death and shows the divide from the world of the living and the dead aren’t far apart. Bod is able to learn and pick up lessons from each character in the graveyard, which allows him to learn about death.
The Graveyard Book explores death using literary conventions such as theme and symbolism. One of the main themes of The Graveyard Book is the importance of family and fate. Bod was able to escape to the graveyard after his family had been murdered. In most cases, the main setting and characters would be scary, evil, and wouldn’t be able to raise a baby. Yet, this book has ghosts, a vampire, a werewolf, and others at the graveyard all helping as a community to raise Bod. This book represents a new twist between Good vs. Evil and shows how the graveyard must work together to be able to raise and keep Bod safe from the outside world. Throughout the book, Bod becomes closer with death and shows the divide from the world of the living and the dead aren’t far apart. Bod is able to learn and pick up lessons from each character in the graveyard, which allows him to learn about death.
The Graveyard Book also uses symbolism to help explore death. During the story, Bod life seems to be contained to the gates of the graveyard and sets the boundary of Bod’s life. While living in the graveyard, Bod becomes comfortable with dealing with death and is able to learn from the dead. Another use of symbolism in the Graveyard Book that explores death is the Danse Macabray. This is a dance that consists of the living people from the town and the dead. At this dance, the living dance right alongside the dead. This helps show how the dead and living are connected and aren’t as divided as we think. Another symbol of that death that is used during this dance is the Lady on the Grey. At the end of the dance, Bod dances with the Lady on the Grey and even promises to ride her horse one day. The Lady on the Grey represents death and shows her dancing with everyone. At the end Bod has the last dance, which shows that one day Bod will also die and death is a way of life. This book takes a friendly twist on death and helps explore death in a more peaceful and child friendly way.
The Graveyard Book contains some of the same teachings and lessons that the book Gilgamesh had. While Gilgamesh focused more on death anxiety and the quest for immortality. Both books explain the importance of life and that everyone faces death. Gilgamesh goes on a quest for immortality but only receives the news to live his best life and that he is going to die like everyone else. This helped Gilgamesh get over some of his death anxiety and helped him live a better life. While in the Graveyard Book, Bod learns about death while living in the graveyard. Bod learns many lessons while being around death and must use what he learned to live his life once he leaves the graveyard. While both books help explore death, The Graveyard Book uses a twist on the norms to help explore death and the living.
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