Ocean At The End Of The Lane Analysis

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Alexis Lussier Dr. Matika ENGL 192 Honors English II 15 March 2015 Ocean at the End of the Lane-1st draft Fantasy and Self-Discovery: Mapped out by Neil Gaiman The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman features a middle aged man looking back on his childhood. The story is narrated through the eyes of this man as a seven year old boy as he is involved with a magical conflict between forces of good and evil. A suicide by an opal miner allows for the passage of a monster who finds power in embellishing the hungers and desires of others into the world of this young boy. The boy finds a sense of comfort and safety at Hempstock Farm and from the Hempstock women which he does not find in his own home. He is intrigued by their magic and fantastical…show more content…
The narrator can quickly sense the peculiarity in the three Hempstock women and comes to understand that they possess magical qualities and have a greater understanding of the world than he has ever known. The Hempstock women and their farm provide the young boy warm milk and delicious food instead of the burnt toast he receives from his father as well as the compassion, honesty and nurturing care that he also does not feel at home. Through the care of the Hempstock women, the young boy can really see what his own family is lacking. Furthermore, the experiences the young boy has with Lettie Hempstock has allowed main character to develop from a scared and timid little boy who cannot sleep without a light to a brave boy who did not move from the fairy ring despite the darkness and creatures that were beckoning him. This young boy also became someone who would risk his entire life to save the world when he was faced with the Hunger Birds devouring everything. Lastly, The Hempstocks have shown the narrator that seeing the magic in life makes all of the terrible events going on seem more bearable. It was magic that Lettie used to help protect the young boy and rid the world of Ursula Monkton and the evil she carried with her. Magic also allowed Old Mrs. Hemptock to simply snip the events that occurred with the young boy and his father from time and make a terrible night seamlessly disappear. Given these points, it is clear that the narrator has been impacted by his encounters with the Hempstock women and the magic they have shown him. The young boy developed into a braver and wiser version of himself and has a greater understanding of his life, his family and the world as he once knew it. In addition, the narrator was not only affected by forces of good in this novel and learned plenty from the monsters and forces of evil that he
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