Journal Entry #3 - Coraline

Coraline is a small, witty girl of about nine years old, who has a passion for exploring, and proves her bravery and courage to the “Other” Mother. Her actions show that she is a determined little girl who will stop at nothing to earn her freedom and the freedom of those who the “Other” Mother had kidnapped. Her actions also show that her bravery and courage is embedded into her skin from her head to her toes, and that she will prove herself to the “Other” Mother. Coraline thinks that the only way to get out and be free is to get past the “Other” Mother who will not let her pass. She thinks of an idea on the spot, and throws the cat with no name at the “Other” Mother to distract her long enough for Coraline to get the snow globe and escape by running through the doorway. Coraline acts very mature for a nine year old, little children her age are usually childish and immature, and they still like to play with barbies, but the way Coraline handles situations that require a thoughtful plan shows that she is a grown up and acts like it. Everyone else in this book reacts positively to Coraline and the “Other” Mother likes her a little too much as she is possessive over Coraline, but she loves her like a dragon loves his gold, and nothing more. Coraline is important in this novel because if she hadn’t been more curious than an average girl, she would have never tried to open the door in the drawing room, she would’ve never met the “Other” Mother, and the battle to earn her freedom and the freedom of the people whom the “Other” Mother had captured and kidnapped never would’ve begun. I wouldn’t like to be the main character, because there are only two main characters in this book, Coraline and the “Other” Mother, and their roles aren’t very desirable. Coraline plays a young girl, who is lured into the “Other” Mother’s clutches, and she has to make a decision to save herself or to rescue her parents from the “Other” Mother. The “Other” Mother plays an evil lady who seeks power and strength in a way that’s inhuman and over-exaggerated, she also is a devious character who has to torture Coraline by kidnapping her parents and making her come crawling back to save them before it’s too late. I would like Coraline as a friend, I mean she seems to keep her wits about her when talking to the “Other” Mother, which proves that she’s smart and has a clear head. She is a determined little girl, she doesn’t just give up, she makes up a plan to escape from the “Other” Mother and rescue those that she captured. I wouldn’t like the “Other” Mother for a friend though, because of her nasty personality and her forceful ways. She is too horrible for her own good and uses others for her own benefit. She used Coraline’s parents to lure Coraline back to her so she could free her mom and dad. She used Coraline to gain strength and power. She used the “Other” Father, who was actually a grub-like thing, to resemble Coraline’s real father so it would make Corlaine more comfortable, and she would like to stay with the “Other” Mother forever…