-
Essay / Pullman's The Golden Compass - 1683
Pullman's first novel in His Dark Materials collection, The Golden Compass presents many imaginative and realistic modern aspects of the world he envisions; such as Daemons, Dust and the Alethiometer. The Golden Compass takes place in an alternate universe with certain similarities to that of our own Earth. Slight differences, however, define this innovative and beautiful world that Pullman has created for his audience. A key difference between the two worlds is the existence and association of demons with humans. These otherworldly creatures known as Demons are the window into a person's soul. They expose you as you really are as a person in the world. Demons are a representation of a person's emotional and mental state, particularly human "souls" that can communicate with their "owners". Ultimately revealing their true inner self, their intentions and their way of life. Demons are important throughout the novel, as they give us a glimpse beneath the mask of each main character introduced to us in the novel. This relationship between demon and human can be largely observed through Lyra, the main protagonist and her demon; Pantalaimon and Lord Asriel and his demon; Stelmaria the Snow Leopard and finally Mrs. Coulter with her demon, The Golden Monkey. Demons associated with the different lifestyles and mentalities of their owner. They not only help their predestined owner with various tasks and in making plans, as shown by Lyra, but also constitute an external representation of themselves that understands the owner's motivations and thinking shown by Mrs. Coulter. Daemons create a unique narrative, allowing the author to depict a more intimate view of their human counterpart as well as reveal their character development and...... middle of paper ...... emotional self. As an audience, we can analyze characters such as Madame Coulture and Lyra; and I can clearly see how the two can differ in terms of moral values and purity. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and the actions of Pan and Mrs. Colture's demon, the Golden Monkey, speak volumes, which also reveals more about their character than they do themselves. . The importance of demons to their human counterparts is quite obvious: without demons, humans cannot exist without demons and neither can the novel. They take the novel in a more spontaneous direction as Pan feeds Lyra with ideas, Stelmaria and Lord Asriel attempt to use their cunning minds to help them win their quest for the city in the sky, and even Madame Coulture and her monkey golden with their mission to obtain Lyra and the Alethoimeter.