History of a House in Wales - Essay Example

However, as Jake Portman starts to rummage into the belongings of his dead grandfather, he begins to believe in the reality of such a house. In that context, the house in Wales catches the imagination of Jake Portman, much before it comes out alive as a real and mysterious entity.

It goes without saying that the house in Wales, very much like a fictional character commanded fear and reputation. When Jake arrived at the enchanted island and enquired about an old man regarding that particular house, the response of the old man that is, “The man chewed his lip and regarded me doubtfully as if deciding whether to help or to wash his hands of the whole thing (Riggs 69)”, evinced much mystery and fear. Hence, the house in Wales happened to be an intimidating character that had a deep influence on their imagination of Jake.

In the story, Riggs has masterfully created a cast of endearing and sometimes intimidating characters, each willing to extend one’s unique contribution, in consonance with one’s abilities and special talents, in the war against the cannibalistic and evil monsters. However, irrespective of the spooky nature of most of the characters in the story, it is the house in Wales that turns out to be an all-enveloping and expansive character, which constraints the mysterious characters residing in it, as Miss Peregrine reveal to Jake, “… If children loiter too long on your side of the loop, all the many years from which they have abstained will descend upon them at once, in a matter of hours (Riggs 206).”

Throughout the story, the house in Wales exists like a continually looming entity, either in the fanciful tales of Jake’s old grandfather, as a place that evoked fear and revulsion amongst the denizens of the mysterious island, or as an actual abode where lived the children with strange peculiarities and their monstrous tormentors. The writer starts building a reputation of the house on the readers’ imagination, right from the start, till one shockingly comes to realize that “the story of Granpa Portman’s childhood wasn’t a fairy tale at all (Riggs 17)”.