Skellig Text Complexity Analysis “The birds are silent in their nest and I must seek for mine” (Almond 165). This quote is from the William Blake poem “Night.” This poem, along with many other of his are featured in this novel. It refers to Skellig, who seeks for his own nest and found it with the help of Michael and Mina. The nest is Mina’s Grandfathers abandoned house. There, Skellig is fed by the owls, Michael, and Mina until he has enough strength to be free on his own. Skellig is a children’s book by the British author David Almond. While reading this book, it seems very simple, but underneath the surface there are multiple complex themes. Although Skellig is labeled as a children’s book, a child would not be able to understand the numerous…show more content… There are several sub-themes in this book that every fourth grader would not understand, all of them contributing to the main theme of reincarnation and rebirth. There are dozens of references to evolution, which infer the idea of change. Skellig underwent the most drastic change in the novel. On page 8, Michael describes the first time he saw Skellig, “I thought he was dead. He was sitting with his legs stretched out and his head tipped back against the wall. He was covered with dust and webs like everything else and his face was thin and pale. Dead bluebottles were scattered on his hair and shoulders” (Almond 8). Throughout the book, Skellig grows in strength both inside himself and his outer appearance. By the end of the novel he has regained enough strength to save the life of Michael’s little sister. He was able to recover his ability to fly and help people with his heavenly powers. The last time Michael and Mina see Skellig he thanks them for all they have done for him, he calls them a “Pair of angels”…show more content… He also grows intellectually with the involvement that he had with Mina and her unusual ways of schooling and thinking in general. The theme of night represents the time when most changes take place. Almost all of Michael and Mina’s adventures take place during the night. The themes of night and dreams are related. The difference between dreams and reality is often blurred. For children, imagination bridges the gap between the two. This is why Michael and Mina are able to see Skellig. Michael’s mother immediately decides she saw Skellig in a dream because he doesn’t fit in with her reality. In this novel, birds are talked about more than anything else. Birds relate to the sub-themes of evolution, nurturing, and flying. The owls are the defenders of Skellig when he is in Mina’s grandfather’s abandoned house and even help him gain strength by bringing him dead animals. Mina’s emotion towards the fledglings is the same emotion that Michael has for his baby sister and Skellig. Although Michael cannot do much for his sister he nurtures Skellig by bringing him aspirin, beer, and 27 and 53. The book references flying and wings many times. Whether they’re talking about bird wings, dead bluebottle fly wings, or