Themes and Analysis

“The Graveyard Book” is a masterful exploration of universal themes through the lens of a fantastical coming-of-age story. Gaiman’s imaginative storytelling and deep thematic content make it a compelling read that resonates on multiple levels.

Themes

In “The Graveyard Book“, Neil Gaiman explores several themes, including growing up, community, and identity.

Growing Up and Coming of Age

“The Graveyard Book” is a Bildungsroman, following Bod’s growth from a helpless baby to independence and maturity. We see him first as a toddler who is accepted by the ghosts. Ms and Mr Owens and Silas protecting him from Jack Frost. Then he grows up, encounters the Sleer, and has a run-in with ghouls, where Mrs Lupescu has to save him from real danger. In the incident of Liza’s tombstone, he can devise a way out of his difficulty with some help from Liza. When he gets into trouble at school, he can handle his schoolmates, but once they involve adults, Silas has to intervene. Finally, when his nemesis Jack returns, Bod is no longer the helpless youngster who escapes only because his caregivers shield him. He can take down the Jacks by his power, requiring only assistance from the ghosts in the graveyard.

The Hands of Fate

The central tension in the story is a prophecy that says Bod is the nemesis of the Convocation, a shadowy but evil and powerful organization. The organization sends out one of its best killers, who fails to eliminate Bod. In some way, he brings Bod and Silas, a sworn enemy of the organization, together. Under Silas’ tutelage and protection, Bod grows into the force feared by the Convocation and is the instrument of their final destruction.

Community and Alienation

“The Graveyard Book” offers a novel exploration of community and alienation: the place that gave Bod community alienated him. The graveyard is populated with ghosts who love and dote on Bod, are concerned with his welfare, and are eager to teach him anything he needs to learn. However, he has no real peers. Even Silas and Ms. Lupescu are not humans and do not share Bod’s experience or outlook. The only person he can connect with is Scarlett, his friend, until the end of the book. However, even Scarlett rejects him and cannot identify with his motives and morals.

Parenting and Identity

At the beginning of “The Graveyard Book,” a ghost says it would take a graveyard to raise Bod, and the novel fulfills this promise. Silas and Mrs. Lupescu were Bod’s contact with the real world, and they taught him about the outside world. The Owens were caring foster parents. And various other ghosts taught him his letters, Latin, geography, and ‘fading’? However, true to Mrs Owens’s insistence that Nobody is like nobody but himself, Bod grows up to have his ideas about the world, a strong sense of self, and ideas of personal justice and companionship. Mother Slaughter tells Bod in the story, “You’re always you, and that don’t change, and you’re always changing, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” His parents and caregivers may have influenced him, but his identity was his alone.

Life and Death

Death is the overarching motif in “The Graveyard Book“. The book opens with the murder of Bod’s parents. The story is primarily set in a graveyard among ghosts, evil spirits, a vampire, and ghouls: creatures operating beyond the grave. And in the background is the ongoing battle for mutual destruction between the Honor Guard and the Convocation. But life’s close association with death is always emphasized. Neil Gaiman makes a point of juxtaposing both concepts and drawing attention to their relationship. No greater symbolism of this association can be found than in the Danse Macabre, where the dead and the living dance together as if one whole community, and Donne’s “No man is an island” is quoted as a footnote to the event.

Key Moments

1. Bod Escapes the Man Jack and Slips into the Graveyard: This event sets the entire plot in motion. The infant Bod narrowly escapes being murdered by the man Jack and finds refuge in the graveyard. The graveyard’s ghosts decide to protect and raise him, granting him the “Freedom of the Graveyard.” This moment establishes Bod’s unique upbringing and the story’s central conflict.
2. Bod Befriends Scarlett: Bod’s friendship with Scarlett represents his first significant connection with the living world. Scarlett introduces him to life outside the graveyard and sparks his curiosity about his origins. This relationship also highlights Bod’s loneliness and desire for companionship.
3. Bod Meets the Ghouls and is Saved by Mrs. Lupescu: This encounter teaches Bod about the dangers beyond the graveyard and the importance of heeding advice from his protectors. Mrs. Lupescu’s rescue reinforces the theme of guardian figures and the concept of family that extends beyond blood relations. It also marks a turning point in Bod’s understanding of trust and survival.
4. Bod Gets Liza a Headstone: This act of kindness shows Bod’s growing sense of empathy and justice. By providing Liza with a headstone, he acknowledges her existence and grants her dignity in death. This moment also reflects Bod’s emerging independence and willingness to challenge the rules for a good cause.
5. The Danse Macabre: The townspeople and the graveyard ghosts engage in the Danse Macabre. In this significant event, the living and the dead unite in a dance, symbolizing the interconnectedness of life and death. For Bod, it is a rare and magical experience that reinforces his unique position between these two worlds. This event deepens his understanding of mortality and the natural cycle of life.
6. Bod Goes to School: Bod’s attempt to integrate into the living world by attending school represents his desire for normalcy and education. However, his experiences at school highlight the challenges he faces due to his unconventional upbringing and the constant threat posed by the man Jack. This moment underscores Bod’s struggle to balance his graveyard life with the outside world.
7. Bod Reunites with Scarlett: This reunion rekindles Bod’s friendship with Scarlett and propels him towards uncovering the truth about his past. Scarlett’s involvement helps Bod piece together crucial information about his family’s murder, driving the narrative toward its climax. This moment emphasizes Bod’s determination and his quest for justice.
8. The Man Jack Lures Bod to His Old Home: This deception brings the long-standing conflict between Bod and the man Jack to the head. The man Jack’s cunning plan to eliminate Bod demonstrates the persistent threat he poses. This encounter forces Bod to confront his past and the danger he has been shielded from, setting the stage for the showdown.
9. Bod Confronts the Jack of All Trades: The confrontation with the Jacks of All Trades is the story’s climax. It tests Bod’s courage, intelligence, and the skills he has learned from his graveyard guardians. This battle represents Bod’s transition from a protected child to a self-reliant individual capable of facing his greatest fears and adversaries.
10. Bod Says Goodbye to the Graveyard: This farewell signifies Bod’s coming of age and readiness to embrace life outside the graveyard. It is a poignant departure from the only home he has known and the mentors who have guided him. This moment encapsulates the themes of growth, change, and the inevitable passage of time, highlighting Bod’s evolution from a sheltered boy to an independent young man.

Writing Style, Tone and Figurative Use

Neil Gaiman’s writing style in “The Graveyard Book” is characterized by its simplicity and richness, making it accessible to younger readers while still engaging for adults. Gaiman employs a narrative style that is both descriptive and immersive, painting vivid pictures of the graveyard and its supernatural inhabitants.

Gaiman’s prose is often lyrical and poetic, creating a dreamlike quality that enhances the story’s fantastical elements. This descriptive style helps establish the graveyard’s eerie and magical atmosphere.

“The graveyard bristled with movement. There was a peculiar sort of moonlight, a light that made the shadows darker.”

The novel’s episodic structure allows Gaiman to explore different facets of Bod’s life and the graveyard’s inhabitants in a series of interconnected vignettes. Each chapter is self-contained and contributes to the overall narrative and character development.

The novel’s tone shifts between whimsical, eerie, and suspenseful, reflecting its blend of fantasy and horror. Gaiman masterfully balances these tones to create an enchanting and unsettling story.

The whimsical tone is evident in how Gaiman describes the graveyard and its ghostly inhabitants. For example, the ghosts are portrayed as endearing and protective figures, providing Bod with a loving, albeit unconventional, family. This tone adds a sense of charm and warmth to the story.

The eerie tone is prevalent throughout the novel, especially in the descriptions of the graveyard at night and the supernatural elements. This tone creates a sense of mystery and tension, keeping readers engaged.

Gaiman employs various figurative language techniques to enhance the storytelling and evoke vivid imagery. His use of metaphors, similes, and personification adds depth to the narrative and helps create the novel’s magical atmosphere.

Metaphors are used to draw parallels between the graveyard and the world of the living. For instance, the “Freedom of the Graveyard” is a metaphor for Bod’s unique abilities and liminal status between life and death. This metaphor underscores Bod’s unique role and the theme of belonging.

Similes are frequently used to create vivid imagery, which paints a picture of the setting and contributes to the ethereal and mysterious mood of the story.

Symbols in The Graveyard Book

Several symbols in “The Graveyard Book” enrich the plot. Some of these symbols are

Headstones

Headstones are markers of a person’s last resting place, symbols of respect and reverence for the dead, and objects of remembrance and historical documents. Gaiman introduces the graveyard’s inhabitants by their epitaphs, which give us a sense of the person they had been when alive, the circumstances of their deaths, or where they came from. From the date of their deaths, one gets a contextual clue into their actions. The absence and presence of a headstone or the state of the headstone also gave information about how the person died. A piece of lore in “The Graveyard Book” states that defaced tombs or graves lacking headstones were the doorways to the realm of ghouls. Those buried in unconsecrated ground had no headstones, a source of bitterness for Liza. She appreciates Bod when he risks his safety to acquire a headstone for her.

The Lady on the Grey

The Lady on the Grey is a psychopomp, a guide to the afterlife. She is a mysterious and ethereal figure who appears to guide those who have passed away from the world of the living to the afterlife. She is also a neutral arbiter of fate, symbolizing the impartiality of fate and the idea that life and death are natural processes that transcend values of good and evil.

Danse Macabre

The term “Danse Macabre” translates to “Dance of Death” in French, and historically, it refers to artistic and literary works that depict a procession or dance of the dead. This theme has roots in medieval art and literature, emphasizing the universality of death and the idea that it comes for everyone, whatever their social status. In “The Graveyard Book“, the Danse Macabre takes on a symbolic significance within the graveyard. It is not just a concept but an event that occurs periodically in the story’s world. The ghosts in the graveyard come together with the living inhabitants of the town to participate in a dance. This ritual reminds the characters and the readers of mortality, the universality of death, and the cyclical nature of life and death.

The Graveyard Gate

For Bod, the graveyard is a place of safety and protection. The gate is the entrance to this sanctuary, symbolizing the secure environment where the ghosts nurture and raise him. It also keeps potential threats at bay, like the Jack of All Trades. The gate represents a boundary for Bod. Initially, he is confined to the graveyard for safety, but it also limits his world. He leaves the gate as he transitions from childhood to adulthood and prepares to face the world.

The Sleer

The Sleer, with its mysterious and ominous nature, symbolizes the fear of the unknown. Its obsessive guarding of treasure shows the dangers of clinging to the past and being trapped in a single purpose. Also, the Sleer’s promise to protect its master echoes themes of temptation and the risk of being trapped by one’s desires or fears.

Personal Perspective

Too often a work drawing inspiration from a classic totters on the fine line between creative inspiration and copycatting. Gaiman faces this challenge in writing “The Graveyard Book“, and I believe he excels. There are points where the parallels are too close, such as the similarity between “Kaa’s Hunting” in “The Jungle Book” and “The Hound of God” chapter in this book. But Gaiman steers the plot away from apeing Kipling’s work in several respects. He writes a story different in mood and tone, generates novel plot ideas, and introduces fresh themes reflecting modern sentiments. One can read either book and thoroughly enjoy each one for its unique merits.