Week 8 “Lady in the Water” and
“The Ocean at the End of the Lane”
Contemporary
Urban Fantasy - Going from the mundane world to the fantastical, the two worlds
coexisting in the same realm or parallel realms.
Lady in the Water directed by M.
Night Shamalan was a bit too corny for me. The main detractor for me was the
overly self-indulgent role that Shamalan put himself in as the savior of the
story. He plays a role he probably imagines mirroring his own life, a
misunderstood author who will one day influence a boy destined to become the
president of the United States. His acting in this role is unintentionally
funny, with awkward and unbelievable reactions to the turning of events
throughout the story. The fairy tale aspects of it are very interesting though,
with a mystical woman (a Narf) being prevented from returning from her world by
ferocious grass wolves (Scrunts). The music was really great, though.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by
Neil Gaiman begins with the narrator returning to his now dilapidated and
run-down childhood home for the first time since he left many years ago. He
begins to remember parts of his childhood, when he was seven years old and his
family was taking in boarders to help pay the rent. The narrator remembers one
of these housemates, a miner, accidentally killing his kitten and later killing
himself in his family’s car. This incident releases an ancient evil through a
wormhole (a literal hole with a worm which he breaks off half of) in the narrator’s foot in the form of a woman named Ursula. Ursula
seduces his family into trusting her, and soon begins a relationship with his
father. Lettie Hempstock and the other Hempstocks help his family overcome
Ursula’s evil, and have a very close encounter with death. Ursula is eaten by supernatural scavenging birds who also want to eat the narrators heart (because Ursula left a piece of her in him). While speaking with
the Hempstocks in present time, the narrator finds out Lettie almost died
saving the narrator, by jumping in front of the hunger birds when he tries to sacrifice himself. He finds out this is not the first time he’s returned to
the property, and he comes to see Lettie. The narrator’s memory is extremely
unreliable, but he asks the Hempstocks to tell Lettie he was there when she
returns from Australia (she is actually recovering in another world). This story is very interestingly written, from the
perspective of a grown man having flashbacks to when he was a child.
The myth in
this novel is very integrated into the contemporary world. Although it is not
as realistic as some myths, it is very inspiring and heartwarming. A myth is defined as a
traditional story concerning the early history of a people or an explanation of
a natural or social phenomenon, typically involving supernatural aspects. This
story definitely fits these criteria. It tells the history of a battle between
good and evil and the history of the supernatural Hempstocks. It explains how
evil is brought into this world (by suicide) with Ursula’s appearance (and spread with money) and how
evil is eradicated with her downfall. This was a very enjoyable book, very interesting and smart and clever.
