The Living and the Dead
Bod lives
between two worlds, one living and one dead.
His experiences in dealing with both of these realms can give insight
into how Gaiman thinks about the world in which we live in, and the message he
is trying to send the reader through The
Graveyard Book. Bod is raised by the
dead, an upbringing that is not the most ideal for the life that he will
eventually have in the living world, but it hardly hinders him. Although Bod is an outsider, he is welcomed
into the graveyard after the recommendation of the Lady on the Grey. Bod’s interactions with the people of the
graveyard are generally positive and though the methods of the dead can
sometimes be old fashioned and harsh, the caring they show for Bod is
apparent. The people of the graveyard
raise, teach, play, and feed Bod to the best of their ability. Where Bod runs into trouble is when he is
dealing with the living. School kids,
policemen, shady shop owners, and of course the man Jack try to bully, steal
from, and murder Bod in all of their encounters. The living world is where Bod is exposed to
greed and corruption, whereas the graveyard is where Bod learns about loyalty
and friendship. Although Silas is a
distant person who can seem very impersonal, he still encourages Bod saying, ““You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential.
You can do anything, make anything, dream anything” (179). At moments like these it seems that Bod
learns more about life from the dead than from the living, and that the living
are the ones to be feared.
I'm not sure why the quote I used isn't showing up. The quote is, "You're alive Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything" (179).
ReplyDeleteThe ending to this novel as well as your post Zach reminded me of a novella that I read for another class that I am currently in; this particular story, called "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," was written by Leo Tolstoy and chronicles the life of a man who leads a relatively shallow life, corrupted by greed and pursuit of material wealth. Only in the last moments of his life does he come to the realization that he essentially spent his life working towards meaningless pursuits, but he is unable to communicate to his family this great revelation as he lies on his deathbed. This idea that in death, one gains a sense of clarity about life materializes in Gaiman's novel...except Bod has the ability to communicate with the dead, with most of them acting as his teachers based on their own life experiences as you pointed out. One sentiment that stood out to me as Bod was inordinately being prepared to leave the Graveyard for good was stated by the witch-girl Liza, who says, "'Truly, life is wasted on the living, Nobody Owens. For one of us is too foolish to live, and it is not I'" (Gaiman 300). Liza suggests here that those who have the opportunity to live are very foolish and tend towards wasting precious time on Earth--a sentiment that only the dead can truly appreciate. Perhaps Bod will be able to live a much better, more meaningful life because of the nature of his education in the graveyard.
ReplyDeleteIn Neil Gaiman’s, The Graveyard Book, the dead are often the ones who look out for Bod, while the living are often the one’s who try to harm him. This difference in demeanor is evident by Silas’ constant warnings to Bod that the outside is not a safe place for him. For example when Bod complains that he thinks the outside would be harmless, Silas retorts, “I wish that were true. But as long as you stay here [in the graveyard] you are safe (Gaiman 37). Silas and other characters within the graveyard make it seem as if life outside of the gates is dangerous. The danger of the outside world is for the most part is true, except for one girl in particular: Scarlett.
ReplyDeleteScarlett is roughly Bod’s age and is an example that the living can be caring and selfless as well. Not only is she the first human that can see Bod, but she is also the only human that likes him as a friend, a friendship that is epitomized when she asks Bod, “Can I hug you”(Gaiman 236). Aside from simply being a friend, Scarlett also shows a selflessness that other humans do not. For example, she goes out of her way to help Bod figure out what happened to her family. She shows a side to the living that contradicts the greed and selfishness seen elsewhere.
In Neil Gaiman’s, The Graveyard Book, the dead are often the ones who look out for Bod, while the living are often the one’s who try to harm him. This difference in demeanor is evident by Silas’ constant warnings to Bod that the outside is not a safe place for him. For example when Bod complains that he thinks the outside would be harmless, Silas retorts, “I wish that were true. But as long as you stay here [in the graveyard] you are safe (Gaiman 37). Silas and other characters within the graveyard make it seem as if life outside of the gates is dangerous. The danger of the outside world is for the most part is true, except for one girl in particular: Scarlett.
ReplyDeleteScarlett is roughly Bod’s age and is an example that the living can be caring and selfless as well. Not only is she the first human that can see Bod, but she is also the only human that likes him as a friend, a friendship that is epitomized when she asks Bod, “Can I hug you”(Gaiman 236). Aside from simply being a friend, Scarlett also shows a selflessness that other humans do not. For example, she goes out of her way to help Bod figure out what happened to her family. She shows a side to the living that contradicts the greed and selfishness seen elsewhere.
I agree completely that Bod learns more from dead and the not dead/not alive than from the living, partially because that is essentially all he has for much of his young life, and the readers only get a slight glimpse into the education he received for the brief moment he was in school. What interested me regards what he is being taught. Because it seems for a large portion of his education, whether in the graveyard or in the school, serves to show how different he is both from the living and the dead. Silas repeatedly mentions the fact that Bod is different from everyone else, especially in the extended version of the quote Zach used. Silas tells Bod that because he is alive, he has “infinite potential,” he then contrasts this by saying, “Once you’re dead, it’s gone” (179). Furthermore, the reader sees him struggle in his lessons with Fading which demonstrates that he was never meant to have or need that ability. These examples differentiate him from the dead. However, his time in the actual classroom actively contrasts him with the living. The teachers discuss his impeccable handwriting, his detailed (possibly flawed) knowledge of history, how strange it is that his family does not own a computer, or the fact that his name cannot be found on any school record. Overall, the clash between the two realms creates a sense of dissonance in Bod’s mind that he cannot quite figure out how to meld. He does not want to only express allegiance for one sphere; he wants the best of both worlds. This conflict is also present in The Jungle Book through Mowgli; however, I feel the mental frustration it causes is much more apparent in Bod’s character.
ReplyDelete