The secular angel in contemporary children's literature: David ...

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product of the rules of a given society. Mestraal’s society of angels has chosen to help humans and ease their pain. When he chooses to abandon this task, thereby also turning his back on his gift of comfort, his glowing appearance and grace, he does not only go against his own kind, but also against himself. He rejects the specific ethics that his peers, that is, the angels, selected as a group to respect and uphold and carves a new path which he will tread alone. Mestraal’s role in the narrative is possibly the most significant, following Freya’s. Furthermore, his presence, his story and the dilemmas he presents Freya with are what shake her the most emotionally and psychologically. These unbearable and cruel choices Mestraal was forced to make every moment, as well as the uncomfortable and often unspoken realities of human nature that he discusses, offer Freya a new perspective on humanity and the role of the angel which is far removed from the ideal and pleasant one she had contrived. Finally, the ultimate lesson that Mestraal teaches her, but which is also reinforced by Stephanie and Luke, is that being an angel, or simply helping others, cannot be achieved without first learning to be a compassionate human being. The definition of a good and compassionate human being in Angel is based on the qualities that the novel values most highly, and which some of the characters possess. Possibly the most important value, and one which Hestron, Luke and Stephanie live by, is selflessness; others include compassion, and generally being a humane person. Freya is seen struggling with these, for although she has good intentions, peer pressure and the need to fit in her social circle has driven her to make several wrong choices. Thus, unless she learns to harness her humanity and discover how to be true to herself, she will never be able to properly help others. Mestraal’s life, however, is also linked to Freya’s in that it is she who is responsible for awakening in him the light that he had lost. Her power, love and resilience remind him who he once was, and it is potent enough to change him back and help him find the faith he had lost in humanity. 186
Faith vs. Science and Innocence vs. Experience This section will closely look at the two binary oppositions of faith vs. science and innocence vs. experience and how they are portrayed in the novel. As they are shared with the works of the other two authors discussed in the thesis, certain comparisons will be drawn in an attempt to establish similarities or differences and what these signify about the works in question. The essence of McNish’s work lies in the element of choice and these two sets of contraries showcase and emphasize this. While innocence vs. experience shares significant similarities with the other works, the binary of faith vs. science in Angel portrays medicine or medical science in a new light, one that does not resemble Almond’s vision of the hospital in Skellig. As mentioned in the introductory section, the element of faith is removed from any religious framework and placed instead in a league of secular angels, as well as in people. Faith in Angel comes with a certain amount of expectations; it is not free, nor does one place it in someone light-heartedly. Mestraal’s fall, as well as Freya’s transformation, becomes proof of that. Mestraal argues that when people place their faith in angels, or any other form of higher power, they become needy, dependent, and most importantly, demanding. Their belief presupposes an immediate response at the first sign of worry or need. It is this excessive and incessant demand that drives Mestraal to abandon his wards. On the other side, there is Freya, who has been born with a gift to become half-human and half-angel. Hestron primarily, but all other angels as well, have placed a great amount of hope and faith in her rare gift and expect her to embrace it and aid them in their mission. Mestraal, having lost faith in all humans, believes that Freya will not be able to rise to her potential and even attempts to dissuade her from pursuing it, explaining that “that is what it means to be an angel. To be able to give up your life unquestioningly. Unflinchingly (McNish, 2007, 216). If he succeeds, his new-found beliefs are reaffirmed and his faith remains lost. Freya’s faith, both in herself and the angels, is intricately woven within her problematic and confusing experiences 187
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THE SECULAR ANGEL IN CONTEMPORARY C
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ABSTRACT This thesis explores the r
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I believe this thes
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Faith vs. Science & Innocence vs. E
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INTRODUCTION This thesis explores t
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to one’s morality based on the et
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part-angel, part-human, and through
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subject of angels, is indicative of
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the Book of Enoch (or 1 Enoch) and
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God with the scientific notion of D
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(Keck, 1998, 69). McNish’s angels
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your small existences?’ ‘But yo
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1980, 7). In order to grasp Blake a
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and, in the final analysis, its som
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was the strongest and kindest of al
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This reference to Blake points to o
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deconstruction-, its function “is
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childhood. Almond has mainly used d
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argument, and the heroes of the sto
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act of killing God, to the slow sec
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mentioned, the intertextual element
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meaning of words” (Allen, 2000, 3
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Transformation Transformation is a
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narrative the process is set into m
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secondly, it bears testament to Fre
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the crude awakening of the fact tha
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CHAPTER ONE DAVID ALMOND’S SKELLI
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appalling at first. His first meeti
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him, and serves as a mirror through
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are some of the parallels that can
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Blake & Intertextuality William Bla
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With these verses she is signalling
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Blakean passages that Almond has in
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a process which ultimately leads hi
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Michael’s mother, who faces a cer
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are not only symbolic and allegoric
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the first time, whereas Skellig has
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Mina read the sentences out loud. S
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see and closely observe the two met
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Mina is the one who teaches Michael
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however, does not constitute the ep
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that such a change in our nature an
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trepidation, there is no surprise w
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doctors whose responsibility it is
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have ultimately learned and exercis
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This very process of change, of bot
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may be offered along the way, this
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of by doctors, Michael tries to hel
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this entire process for Michael and
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in Almond and McNish’s work, as b
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witnesses the wings on his own back
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character and an idea. The artist
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Pullman wished for this story to re
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concepts. As a result, the Fall’s
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case of these three authors it is i
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Malone, who often voices opinions s
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Roger, true fear and loneliness ove
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egins by gathering all the elements
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intertextual umbrella under which t
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driven by malevolence and revenge.
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have to be considered as they are d
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drawn between the two girls, Lyra a
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the end of the GC where Lord Asriel
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considered preferable or superior i
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act is what brought sin into the wo
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punishment for disobedience is not
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work of the General Oblation Board
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Especially in the case of Asriel, h
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Lyra finds Dr. Mary Malone, a scien
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opposite to the religious one; whil
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subject to the laws of optics. They
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Page 149 and 150: conception of the angel Uriel” as
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Page 157 and 158: come after death. In this way, Pull
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Page 161 and 162: Pullman parallels childhood and inn
Page 163 and 164: double significance. In Lyra’s ca
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Page 171 and 172: The issue of intertextuality is not
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Page 185 and 186: has created his own moral code and
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Page 189 and 190: 2011, 100). He writes that the Jewi
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Page 193: to assist and comfort each other. W
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Page 203 and 204: All this changes when Freya first m
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Page 207 and 208: The debate between state-school edu
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Page 213 and 214: Stephanie feel accepted and more se
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Page 221 and 222: elationship with Stephanie and its
Page 223 and 224: This he exemplifies both in Mestraa
Page 225 and 226: thesis, however, it was argued and
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Page 229 and 230: interesting things” (Franks, 2011
Page 231 and 232: strength of the book, and I made ea
Page 233 and 234: 225
Page 235 and 236: 227
Page 237 and 238: Anonymous, “A Dark Agenda?” Sur
Page 239 and 240: Bleich, D. (1978) Subjective Critic
Page 241 and 242: Chambers, A. (1985) Booktalk: Occas
Page 243 and 244: Damon, S.F., Eaves, M. (1988) A Bla
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Fairer, D. (2002) “Experience Rea
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Gibbs, N. (1993) “Angels Among Us
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Hunt, P. (1994) An Introduction to
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Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., Troop-Gordon
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Manlove, C. (1999) The Fantasy Lite
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Mishna, F., Scarcello, I., Pepler,
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Pfeiffer, J. (1999) “‘Dream not
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Rosenblatt, L. M. (1982) “The Lit
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Squires, C. (2004) Philip Pullman
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Warner, N.O. (1982) “The Iconic M
Page 265:
Yampbell, C. (2005) “Judging a Bo
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