"Northern Lights"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how "Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman revolves around Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon who are journeying North to rescue their friend Roger from an evil organization run by Lyra's estranged mother. It looks at how set in an alternate dimension, daemons are a huge factor in the story and evaluates how people and their daemons are connected and cannot survive apart. It shows how daemons can be considered our thoughts, feelings, personalities and consciences personified so that they can walk, talk and feel like us.

From the Paper:

"Pantalaimon represents Lyra's soul in a visual form. He also acts as a conscience working in a visual manner. The 'shrill cries' represents the hidden pent up anger and secret fear that Lyra is experiencing. These emotions would normally be hidden from the reader if it was not for the daemon. These 'hidden emotions' bring us closer to the characters. 'Lyra had to stop herself crying out , and Pantalaimon fluttered his wings so sharply that the other girls noticed.' This shows that the characters also relate to each other using the daemons. I think that the girls would not have known Lyra's intimate feelings if it were not for Pantalaimons unstoppable jolts of emotions. This also allows us to see deeper into the character's emotions. The daemons express the truth about human nature."

More papers on "Northern Lights":

• Essay # 38916 : "Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)"
• Analytical Essay # 118740 : "The Northern Ireland Conflict"
• Term Paper # 3346 : "The Northern Renaissance as Expressed On Canvas"

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