My final thoughts

After finishing this book a few days ago I felt as though I needed to let it sink in before deciding whether I liked it or not. Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of the book. I feel as though the storyline was not very consistent which made it hard to read. There wasn't really any background on the problems that the main character faced which made it a bit confusing. I feel like if there was a bit more background I would have liked it more. Also there were some big questions that I was left with after I finished reading it like what ended up happening to the boys family? Also I did not understand how Ginnie went from being Lettie's mother to her Grandmother. Some aspects of the book were interesting but all and all this book was not really my cup of tea.

An interesting review

Here is an interesting review of the book. I thought she had some interesting views about the book.

Outside Appearance

 

  I found a passage of the novel  interesting when Lettie and the main character are talking to Ursula and the main character says how pretty Ursula is but when you are seven "beauty is an abstraction, not an imperative"(Gaiman 118). He then wonders what he would have done if she smiled at him as an adult, he would have given her his mind or heart if she asked just like his father. 

   I found this passage interesting because is shows how adults and young children view beauty. Adults become attracted to beauty and are capable of losing their senses when attracted to another person, but children do not focus on that and are more able to look beyond their appearance and focus on their personality. 

       

Ocean of Knowledge

        The pond or "ocean" is vital in the story because from the beginning of the novel the mystery of what the ocean is leaves the reader in question throughout the story. I believe the ocean symbolizes the vast volume of knowledge in the world that cannot be acquired. Oceans are vast and seem never ending, like knowledge. Although the ocean looks like a pond, once you enter it you acquire knowledge not known to mankind. The two bodies of water show how knowledge can seem small or infinite.
     The main character enters the shown shown by the picture above through the bucket and enters into a place in between all worlds that contains all the knowledge there is to know. The MC in that moment acquires all this knowledge that the ocean contains, but is not able to hold on to that knowledge. The main character feels a good sensation in the water, but if he stayed to long he would be dissolved. He is then taken out of the water and the knowledge is taken away from him like in the end of the novel when Mrs. Hempstock takes some of the memories he has of his journey with Lettie. She does this because, like Kirsten mentioned, is easier that way. Ignorance is bliss.

Trusting Lettie

           
        The relationship between Lettie and the main character seems to develop quite quickly. Lettie invites the MC into her life with open arms and the main character does so and does not question their friendship. Lettie is presented as the protector of the main character and feels comfortable enough around that she is able to show him her secret world. The MC is also very comfortable around Lettie and latches to her quickly because she becomes his only friend. He trusts Lettie enormously throughout the novel even during their danger filled journeys. This is shown when he says, "I would have trusted her to the gates of Hell and back"(Gaiman 115). I found it unusual that the main character feels so protected with Lettie and felt he could not be harmed with her, even when encountering interactions with alien- like  creatures and passages into other worlds. However, Lettie is quite knowledge for an eleven year old that fights other world creatures.
           

Ursula Monkton

Ursula fascinates me in the novel because she is depicted as the evil character, but her appearance  is described as sweet, nice, and pretty. This disguise of a young, pretty women is misleading and helps make her character more interesting and mysterious. The idea of disguise also shows that not everything is as it seems and the outside appearance does not always correctly depict a person. For example, the Hempstock's on the outside look like a normal family, but as the reader goes deeper into their life they discover a whole magical and mysterious world.
       Ursula is the evil character in the novel, but her innocent appearance also helps show that she does not believe her own actions are evil. Ursula believes she is making people happy in the novel and is giving them what they want, thus her appearance is parallel with how she views herself.

Growing Up

       I have found that age plays a big role in this novel due to the age differing view points and the main character's constant concentration on the difference between an adult and a child. He views authoritative figures  as strong beings that are not scared of anything and have vast knowledge. This is how the main character views Old Mrs. Hempstock, Mrs. Hempstock, and even Lettie. Although Lettie is only 11 years old, he often says that he looks up to Lettie and that she is a head taller than him. He views Lettie as an adult figure because he believes she is knowledgeable and he feels safe with her, often using her presence as a security blanket. He also views grown ups as being taller and stronger than him. This is shown on page 112 when the MC questions why Ursula Monkton is scared of anything because she is a grown up and grown ups are not scared of anything.
          With this question I found Lettie's response noteworthy because she says grown ups look different on the outside, but on the inside they remain children that are scared and afraid of the world and do not know everything. This response connects with how I felt as a child because as a little girl I believed adults and my parents were all knowing and not afraid of anything. However, as I mature I see that humans do grow up on the outside but on the inside they are still afraid of certain things and do not know everything. This struggle between the view points of a child and an adult helps support the author's purpose of a story based on the memory of a child as a middle aged man.

The Ocean

I love the concept of the healing ocean that can give you power and knowledge. It reminds me of the waters around Avalon, in the King Arthur myth.

End of the Book

The ending made me sad, the final chapter and the epilogue. Its kind of typical though. You have a little kid do what he thinks is best for the world and someone has to go and stop him.

Also, I wonder if his heart really got rippled out as Ginnie said it did or if only Lettie got ripped up? The different memories of what happened makes it hard to focus at times.

Ending with the cat was touching and I was close to crying when I read how he had brought her back.

And when Lettie was looking down st him with the moon eyes, or when she was evaluating if it was worth saving him, well it was touching.


What really hit me though was how they were like ghosts. MC never really remembers what happened, and it makes me sad to think that Old Mrs Hemstock has to change his memory of what happened "because its easier that way."

And the symbolism of him growing a new heart!


Though this book gas some parts that makes me annoyed (as a writer), Neil Gaimen made a good novel. In the end, I like how this turned out. The concepts, the loss, all of it made me feel. It seems like there's just so much to encompass in this, and he pulled it off well.

Gaiman's writing and grammar

I think that it is interesting how Gaiman tends to use a lot of ands in one sentence. For example: "Which sounded friendly and true and real, and had no flapping rags in it" (64). I feel like this makes the writing sound more like an 11 year old. Have you guys noticed a strange writing techniques?

The worm

I found the chapter about the worm in his foot really disturbing and disgusting. I feel like the concept of the worm and the other things that are happening to he, such as his chest pain and Ursula are the things that Lettie feels like she needs to protect him from. The part where the boy let goes of Lettie's hand allows the evil into the boys life and makes it harder for Lettie to protect him.

A Question?

What do you guys think is Ursula's purpose in the book and how did Lettie get rid of her?

Looking Back

The main character in the next section of reading really goes deep into his memories. He remembers his experiences through the eyes of a boy, but as he looks back he is able to understand more. For example, when he saw Ursula and his father in the room he did not understand what they were doing, but looking back he now now understand that his father was having some kind of affair with the housekeeper. This makes me reflect on how it is feeling like a kid because as a kid we think we know everything, but as we mature we understand the world more and are able to reflect on our lives.

Cat Symbolism

As Kirsten brought up, cats appear to be a recurring symbol in the book.  I agree, and I was curious about the different things that cats symbolize.  I found this website that explains all the representations cats can be interpreted as.  I think it's interesting how cats are connected to supernatural things, intuition, intelligence, secrets, and watchfullness.  All of these qualities strongly connect to the story, specifically the Hempstocks, who have unique powers and extreme intuition.  It also says that in Ancient Rome, the cat was considered the guardian of homes, which can connect to the MC's new kitten keeping him safe from the evil.  He found his new kitten in the field right as Ursula was about to attack him.  Shortly after, Lettie arrives, saving him.  I definitely think there is a connection.  Yay for interesting symbolism! :)
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/cat-animal-symbolism.html

Crazy Cat Man

There seems to be cats all through this book. First, when MC described his cat that the opal miner killed, then the description of the cat that the opal miner replaced, then the cat that the MC pulled from the ground. What do you think the significance of the cats are, and maybe they're somehow related to "old cat ladies", the secluded crazy woman who have cats everywhere. Except in this cat, old cat man?

Also, who else is fed up with the seven year old not acting like a seven year old? I get that this book is portrayed through the eyes of a 30 year old, but the way he thinks and acts should be more.. kid like.

This quote is one of my favorites from the book so far.

What Page?

What page should we be on at this point?  I'm on page 50.  Should we be up to page 100 be Monday/Tuesday's english class?

I pictured the setting of the book exactly like this photo!

Just A Thought

Did anyone else find it strange that Lettie's family didn't try to hide their powers from the MC?  Even though he was only seven years old in the flashback of his childhood, I would expect the family to attempt to hide their abilities to normal people.  Wouldn't they be afraid that he would tell his parents about them?  What do you guys think?

foreshadowing

I love Letties's powers. It's like she's a witch, but added in with her coming from a different world adds an element of intrigue. I bet when she was biding the monster, when the main character caught the ball, that something bad happened to him. The writing implies that he did do something bad, or caught something bad. Because he states "I hope it was the right answer" so I wonder how bad he's going to get it

Neil Gaiman answers questions about "The Ocean at the End of the Lane"

This is a pretty interesting Q&A with Neil Gaiman about this book

I am so excited to begin this book.  Make sure you have your copy by December 9th to begin the project!