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Originally Posted by gmw
I think it takes a very special touch to be able to weave a tale like this, where grief, and loss, and violence and ugliness are so central to the story and yet the story avoids losing itself in any of these things. That, almost as much as anything else, is what makes this feel so much a fairytale; the prose remains mostly light and unaffected and yet the feelings are all there and none of the depth is lost.
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I think this is a very important point. The book is much darker and violent than one might expect (so is The Jungle Book). However it doesn't overshadow Bod's growth in coming of age. I don't think that the ugly things transform him into a monster or evil character and they don't consume his good qualities. I think he learns and grows in spite of them. And, I like how Gaiman takes creatures usually associated with fear and evil (like ghosts, vampires, werewolves) and makes them represent the good in the story, who protect and raise Bod and help him mature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Hmm... I never saw Bod - the boy who had been talking of revenge - as likely to cry over the loss of the men that killed his family. And you're right, death doesn't mean quite the same to Bod as it does to Scarlett. To quote Silas: ‘I am afraid you do Bod an injustice. But you will undoubtedly be happier if you remember none of this. [...]’  |
I think it is natural to want revenge and feel angry towards the Jacks. The opening story is very grim and dark. Jack's evil nature is dripping from the page. He took away Bod's whole family and a normal childhood of the living. Bod doesn't even know his name given by his parents. Bod knows that he is protected in the graveyard and that outside are bad people that want to do bad things to him. Jack Frost tricks him into the attic and makes it clear he intends to kill him. Why should Bod not want to escape? They chase him into the graveyard. Bod has to fight back if he wants to live because after all he still has a life to live in the outside world and he's not ready to join the graveyard people. He doesn't rejoice in fighting the Jacks (no wicked cackles here). It's more something he has to do to live.
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Originally Posted by Dazrin
My take on Bod's thought process is that he put her there because it was the safest location and because he knew that if something did go wrong there was a chance the Sleer would (possibly inadvertently) protect her. I can see how she would think she was bait given the way things went but I don't see that at all in Bod's behavior.
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I share your interpretation. I don't think that Bod was uncaring or cold. I also think that he was trying to protect Scarlett. I think it shows that despite being raised in the graveyard he still is able to have compassionate and protective feelings towards other living people. Scarlett was his first living friend. He really missed her when she left, and he is so happy when she comes back. Scarlett is not part of the graveyard world, and she doesn't understand its rules so she misinterprets the actions. She sees Bod against the Jacks. She doesn't see the other creatures of the graveyard assisting him. Also, look at her judgment that she ignored the "stranger danger" warning bells and got into the car with Jack Frost, and then she and her mom became friendly with him. He wasn't what he seemed to her either.