The Graveyard Book Blog by Neil Gaiman

Brief Summary:

This book begins with a break in scene where a mother, a father, and a daughter have been murdered by a man with a knife.  The man enters the room of his last target, a toddler, only to realize the toddler is missing.  The reader’s follow the toddler to a graveyard that is “alive” with ghosts.  Static images of the toddler’s deceased family appear in the graveyard and the mother begs for the (ghostly) Owens couple to take care and protect their little boy.  Throughout the rest of the novel, the readers follow “Nobody Owens” through his growth and the adventures that come along with it.  The readers are able to witness Nobody as make his first friend, meets the Sleer, gets abducted by ghouls, learns wisdom from Silas and Ms. Lupescu, dances with the living and the dead, learns to “fade”, goes to school, fights bullying, as he stands against the “Jacks”, and as he takes his final leave from the graveyard.  It is a thrilling coming of age story full of adventure and mystery.

Night-Gaunt:

Ghoul:

Ghulheim:

Ghoul Gate:

Background and Context:  

                                                         Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman (born in Portchester, Hampshire, England in 1960) is an English author whose work spans a variety of mediums, from comic books to novels to films. His work typically falls under the fantasy genre and often deals with characters making the distinction between what is real and what is unreal. His Sandman comic series ran for seven years and 75 issues and has been met with critical acclaim. He has written that are enjoyed by adults (Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys) as well as children (Coraline, The Graveyard Book). His work in film and television includes episode scripts for science-fiction programs Babylon 5 and Doctor Who, a co-writing credit for Beowulf, and the English script of the Japanese anime Princess Mononoke, based on the translation of the Japanese script. His novels Stardust and Coraline have been made into film adaptations. Recently, it was announced that American Gods will be made into a TV series to be broadcast on HBO, and The Graveyard Book will receive a film adaptation with Henry Selick attached to direct.

                The Graveyard Book, winner of the Newbery Medal and Carnegie Medal in 2009, was inspired by Gaiman watching his two-year-old son ride his tricycle around a graveyard. Gaiman, noting how “at home” his son looked, was inspired to write a book similar to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book set in a graveyard, but was intimidated because he didn’t consider himself a good enough writer to tackle the project (the idea came to him in 1986). He’d revisit the idea every few years but didn’t really begin to write it until 2004 (after he’d finished Anansi Boys) and worked on it slowly until its completion in 2005.

                                           Connections to The Jungle Book

The Graveyard Book is clearly inspired by The Jungle Book, but also differs in significant ways. The premise is largely similar (young orphaned boy is raised by a community of non-humans) with many characters in The Graveyard Book having obvious Jungle Book counterparts (Bod – Mowgli; Silas – Bagheera; Mrs. Lupescu – Baloo; Mr. and Mrs. Owens – Wolf Family; the ghouls - the Bandar-log; the man Jack – Shere Khan). Although Graveyard is a novel and Jungle is a short story collection, Gaiman is still able to mimic the latter’s structure by isolating each chapter of The Graveyard Book in time (each chapter takes place roughly two years after the last), giving it the feel of a collection of related short stories. However, due to its nature as a novel, The Graveyard Book is markedly different in narrative from The Jungle Book; it tells a cohesive story that revolves around one character.

Larger Thematic Connections:

Death
The Graveyard Book explores the line between life and death, and the afterlife. Bod gives us a way to see both the living and the dead, and through Bod's unique capabilities, we are allowed a glimpse into the "life" of the graveyard and what could possibly wait after death. Gaiman's ghosts are different than most--the spectral characters that surround, protect, and raise Bod are not scary, but rather take their duty very seriously and ensure Bod gets all that he needs to live a normal human life before he, too, passes on. Gaiman presents a different view of the afterlife, which may be either realistic or not to each reader.

Good vs. Evil
Bod's experiences in the graveyard reveal that not everything about the afterlife is as peaceful as his ghastly caregivers' experience. Gaiman plays with our notions of good and evil by setting this tale in a graveyard with Bod's seemingly spooky companions. Rather than portray the residents of the graveyard as all evil, Gaiman distinctly presents many of them as the good guys--something that is unique to Gaiman's Graveyard Book and forces us to look at our own moral values.

Compassion and Forgiveness
From the start of the story, compassion takes on an important role, when Mrs. Owens agrees to look after Bod. This would be a monumental task for anyone, let alone a ghost who has never raised a child either in life or in death. Mrs. Owens' compassion for Bod's young life sets the novel in motion and gives us things to think about in terms of our own sense of compassion and its limitations for ourselves. Bod's dealings with Jack also give us similar things to think about, especially in terms of forgiveness.

Fate
Bod shows his sense of free will throughout The Graveyard Book, so when we come to the prophecy about Bod and the Jacks, ideas about fate versus free will crop up. Bod constantly does things his own way and acts according to his own free will, but in the end, the prophecy proves to be true. These events cause readers to examine their notions about fate or free will, and which is the underlying cause of the events in this book.

Questions:  

By focusing so much on the dead, what does Gaiman say about the living? Compare Bod's interactions with the living (Scarlett, the school bullies) and his interactions with the dead. Which has a more profound impact on him?

 Many of the supernatural characters in the Graveyard Book are shown to be benevolent, while many of the human characters are malevolent or corrupt. Why does Gaiman do this?

What is Silas and why doesn't Gaiman tell us? How is his status as neither living nor dead affect his relationship with Bod and the rest of the graveyard?


What is the significance of the Danse Macabre? Why won't the denizens of the graveyard talk about it? 

Cited Pages for the author:

Author’s offical website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/

Author’s official Twitter: https://twitter.com/neilhimself

Sleer description: http://www.shmoop.com/graveyard-book/sleer.html