In “The Graveyard Book“, a book about a boy raised among the dead, most quotes relate to life and death. Others touch on community, alienation, and identity. Neil Gaiman writes evocative words into the mouths of his characters, and their sayings make the reader feel inspired and alive.
Life and Possibility
As dwelling between the world of the living and the world of the dead, Bod had to have the difference between both states pointed out several times in “The Graveyard Book“. This often happens when he wishes he were fully part of the community of the dead.
“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”
Nehemiah Trot to Bod; Chapter 7
When Bod considers carrying out his revenge, he asks the ghosts in the graveyard for counsel, and the poet answers with this statement. Dares are often daunting, and the thought of doing the impossible or the difficult can make one lose spirit. But as the statement states, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Even if there is a slight chance of success, it vanishes if one does not try.
“‘But,’ expostulated Josiah Worthington. ‘But. A human child. A living child. I mean. I mean, I mean. This is a graveyard, not a nursery, blast it.’”
Josiah Worthington, when the ghosts of the graveyard debate whether to adopt Bod; Chapter 1
At the beginning of “The Graveyard Book,” the ghosts of the graveyard are debating whether to adopt Bod, a human child whose family has just been murdered by the man Jack. Josiah Worthington, one of the graveyard’s inhabitants, voices his concern about raising a living child in a place meant for the dead. His shock and confusion about the idea of a living child being raised in a graveyard is evident in the repetition of “I mean” and “blast it”, stressing his disbelief and the incredible nature of the proposal.
“You must be alive or you must be dead to dance it and I am neither.”
Silas on being excluded from the Danse Macabre; Chapter 5
During the Danse Macabre, a rare event where the living and the dead dance together, Silas explains to Bod why he cannot participate. Silas, Bod’s guardian, is a vampire and an undead, which excludes him from this unique celebration. Silas’s statement highlights his unique nature. He exists in a liminal space, not fitting neatly into the categories of life or death. This reflects his mysterious and otherworldly qualities, and his role as a Bod’s protector and guide who operates outside the usual boundaries fits this nature.
“You were given the Freedom of the Graveyard, after all,” Silas would tell him. “So the Graveyard is taking care of you.”
Silas answering Bod’s numerous inquiries as a boy exploring the graveyard that is his home; Chapter 2
As a young boy, Bod often questions his surroundings and the various supernatural phenomena he encounters in the graveyard. To one of these questions, Silas explains that because Bod has been granted the Freedom of the Graveyard, he is protected and nurtured by its inhabitants and their powers. He is given access to all places in the graveyard, which is denied to other humans. The graveyard and its inhabitants have taken on the role of his guardians, ensuring his safety and education in their strange world.
“You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you’re dead, it’s gone. Over. You’ve made what you’ve made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”
Silas to Bod; Chapter 2
In one of Silas’ lectures to Bod, when Bod wishes he was dead to become like the other ghosts in the graveyard, Silas points out the difference between him, who is alive, and those who are dead. Bod could make the world change and shape it in some capacity according to his wishes. Those who are dead can not effect any further change in life.
“Bod said, ‘I want to see life. I want to hold it in my hands. I want to leave a footprint on the sand of a desert island. I want to play football with people. I want,’ he said, and then he paused and he thought. ‘I want everything.”
Bod’s monologue; Chapter 8
Leaving the graveyard for the final time, Bod allows himself to dream and anticipate all he can do as a fully alive and free human, with all the world in front of him to explore. Rather than fear the unknown, he is excited about the many possibilities.
“Truly, life is wasted on the living, Nobody Owens. For one of us is too foolish to live, and it is not I.”
Liza’s monologue; Chapter 8
Liza says these words to Bod when he hesitates too long to take a fleeting opportunity. Liza’s carpe diem life philosophy expects him to stop worrying about the uncertainties of a moment but live fully every moment.
Death and Finality
In the story of “The Graveyard Book”, Bod’s life in the graveyard contrasts him with those who raised him, who were indeed dead. The very circumstances that led him to live in the graveyard resulted from the death of his parents. Death hovered over him all his life.
“You are obvious, boy. You are difficult to miss. If you came to me in company with a purple lion, a green elephant, and a scarlet unicorn astride which was the King of England in his Royal Robes, I do believe that it is you and you alone that people would stare at, dismissing the others as minor irrelevancies.”
Josiah Worthington to Bod, while teaching him to Fade; Chapter 4
When Bod has trouble fading, his teacher, the ghost Josiah Worthington, is very disappointed in his efforts. However, this also shows the fundamental difference between the dead and Bod. What the ghosts did easily for the mere fact that they are dead, he has to do with much difficulty and practice.
“In the graveyard, no one ever changed. The little children Bod had played with when he was small were still children; Fortinbras Bartleby, who had once been his best friend, was not four or five years younger than Bod was, and they had less to talk about each time they saw each other; Thackeray Porringer was Bod’s height and age, and seemed to be in much better temper with him;…”
The Narrator, on the Bod’s loneliness in the graveyard; Chapter 7
Bod notices that none of the ghosts he spends time with grow; they all remain the same age and static. Their lives were already gone, their potential over. They are frozen in the river of time while he flows to meet and eventually pass them. In this subtle way, Bod’s profound alienation impresses the reader of “The Graveyard Book“.
Good and Evil
Good and evil are not as clearly defined in “The Graveyard Book“, and Gaiman gives a nuanced treatment of morality.
“You aren’t a person. People don’t behave like you. You’re as bad as he was. You’re a monster.”
Scarlett to Bod, at his defeat of the Jack of All Trades; Chapter 7
After the fight with the Jacks, Scarlett turns on Bod. She believed that Bod acted coldly and with disregard for human life. Bod tried to justify his actions by saying that the men were killers, but this excuse did not change Scarlett’s mind.
“I have not always done the right thing. When I was younger…I did worse things than Jack. Worse than any of them. I was the monster, then, Bod, and worse than any monster.”
Silas to Bod, after the final showdown at the graveyard; Chapter 8
In his conversation with Bod, Silas hints that he has done so many questionable and downright harmful things in his long existence that he cannot claim goodness with a good conscience. However righteous his actions are in the present, they do not change what he’s done in the past.
Community and Identity
While the ghosts provide an exemplary community in “The Graveyard Book” and nurture Bod as much as possible, Bod’s sense of isolation is not mitigated. He cannot fully participate in the community of the dead, and the ghost cannot share his life experience as a living being. This fact is explored as a source of tension several times in the story.
“‘He looks like nobody but himself,’ said Mrs. Owens, firmly. ‘He looks like nobody.’
‘Then Nobody it is,’ said Silas. ‘Nobody Owens.’”
Mrs Owens at Bod’s naming; Chapter 1
When the ghosts in the graveyard tried to name Bod, they all suggested naming him after someone each knew whom they believed the baby looked like. Mrs Owens strongly opposed this. Nobody, which seems like a name that erases his identity, becomes, when seen in context, a strong affirmation of Bod’s individuality.
“It’s like the people who believe they’ll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn’t work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean.”
Silas and Bod discuss suicides and human dissatifaction with life; Chapter 4
When Silas and Bod discuss suicides, Silas teaches Bod a vital life lesson. Human beings are a product of their experiences and can only change how they feel about themselves to feel better about life rather than hoping for a change in their circumstances.
“People want to forget the impossible. It makes their world safer.”
Silas to Bod about Scarlett; Chapter 7
Silas is speaking to Bod about Scarlett, who witnesses Bod’s fight with the Jacks of All Trades and struggles to reconcile her impressions of Bod and the graveyard with her normal life. Silas comments on the human tendency to dismiss extraordinary events to maintain a sense of normalcy and safety. The quote suggests that people prefer to ignore or forget things that challenge their understanding of reality. By forgetting the impossible, they can continue to live in a predictable and safe world. It highlights a common psychological defense mechanism to maintain a stable and coherent worldview.
“It’s not that much to ask, is it? Something to mark my grave.”
Liza about a headstone; Chapter 4
Liza Hempstock, a witch buried in the Potter’s Field without a headstone, expresses her longing for a proper grave marker. She shares her story with Bod, who sympathizes with her and decides to help. Liza’s request for a headstone symbolizes her desire for recognition and respect in death. A grave marker represents an acknowledgment of her existence and a place in the world, even after death. It reflects her yearning for dignity and remembrance. It also catalyzes Bod’s actions to help Liza, deepening their relationship and Bod’s understanding of justice and compassion.
