Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - Essay Example

?Never Elements One can see that an imaginary world with full of superhuman characters can stimulate the imagination of the readers and they will be forced to contemplate on the scope of a different world. But one can see that aforementioned world is just imaginary because life cannot survive in harsh conditions. Still, readers consider that a different life is possible because technological innovation force them to think so. Within this context, the fiction named as Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is noteworthy because the author leads the readers to the realm of underground dwellers. Besides, this literary work can be considered as a temporary escape from the real world to an imaginary world under the earth. Thesis statement: In the literary work Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman makes use of strange and invisible characters and a fantastic location below the earth to prove the futility of materialistic life, and the scope of a different life. Most striking elements in the novel: This section is divided into three: Strange characters, Fantastic location, and Invisible characters. Strange characters The characters in the novel, like Door, Croup, Marquis, Hunter, etc., appear to be strange because they symbolize life in a magical context. One can easily identify the fact that the novelist portrays the protagonist (say, Richard Mayhew) as the representative of the mortal world. On the other side, Door represents the link between the mortal world and the imaginary world. In Neil Gaiman’s fiction, the narrator made clear that, “He looked to see where she had come from, but the wall was blank and brick and unbroken” (25). She appears to the protagonist as a mystery because she does not try to reveal her real identity. Besides, the strange characters never try to communicate with the human beings who are living in the mortal world. Once, Door seeks help from the protagonist and this incident breaks the secrecy of the underground world. The strange characters in the novel are not interested to lead normal lives because they are aware of the fact that the possibility of their survival is related to the secrecy of the underground world. To be specific, the underground dwellers are symbolic of the devil and his followers, who are forced to flee from the heaven. Within this context, some of the strange characters like Islington, and Lamia represent sin. On the other side, the characters like Door, Marquis and Hunter represent virtue. Still, this basic difference adds strangeness to the characters that are forced to live beneath the earth to complete their mission. Fantastic location The novelist makes use of the location to help the reader to find out the differences between the mortal world and the virtual real world. To be specific, the map of the London Subway, printed on Richard’s umbrella is symbolic of the virtual real world. The narrator made clear that, “Then a click, and it blossomed into a huge white map of the London Underground network, each line drawn in a different color, every station marked and named” (3-4). One can see that the novelist exploits the scope of commonplaces as locations. The dwellers of London Below, known as Rat-Speakers, never try to reveal their identity in the real world. Besides, they are not aware of the life beyond their area. The market place at the Floating Market is symbolic of an underdeveloped society, where barter system still prevails as an economic system. The people who live in the underworld depend upon this economic system. Still, the dwellers of the underworld make use of urban transportation mode to travel. In the novel, the underground railway network leads to the Earl's Court. So, one can see that the abandoned transportation method under the earth’s surface is used by the dwellers of the underworld. In the novel, the character named as Hunter hesitates to enter the real world and decides to stay at an underground station, which is under a museum known as British Museum. So, the novelist makes use of the fantastic location (say, the world beneath the city of London and the underground transportation system) to create an imaginary world of underground dwellers. Invisible characters In the novel, most of the Londoners are not aware of the fact that there is a secret society under the earth. The narrator made clear that, “It was a good place, and a fine city, but there is a price to be paid for all good places, and a price that all good places have to pay” (10). So, the underground dwellers appear to be invisible to the people who live in the real world. This denial of identity is the most important problem faced by the invisible characters in the novel. But those who deal with the people of London Below face the problem of denial of identity. For instance, the protagonist once tries to help an individual from London Below. This incident transforms the protagonist’s life because he became invisible to others. So, he decides to find out the secret behind the people of London Below. On the other side, some of the invisible characters from London Below occasionally visit the above world. But most of the people of London Below remain invisible to the people of London Above. Still, the protagonist does not face the problem of invisibility in the London Below. So, the novelist made use of the element of invisibility to portray the differences between two worlds, earthly and eternal. Summing up, the elements like strangeness, invisibility, and extraordinary location in the novel helps the readers to experience a virtual real world. Besides, the protagonist is symbolic of the futility of a monotonous life in a materialistic society. On the other side, the scope of a different life in London Below fills enthusiasm in the mind of the protagonist. To be specific, the protagonist does not like the life in London Above. Instead, he thinks that the life in London Below is vivid and adventurous. So, one can see that the novelist makes use of his literary skill to influence the readers by unveiling the imaginary characters in the world of London Below. In short, the London Below is symbolic of human desire to have temporary escape from monotonous life. Works Cited Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. Print. Read More