Lord Asriels and Mrs. Coulters influence on Lyra in The Golden Compass Free Essay Example, 1750 words

The Golden Compass Order No. 283922 No. of pages: 7 1st 6530 ‘The Golden Compass, ’ by Philip Pullman is a fantastical story, set in a world very much like our own, yet very different from it. It can be called one of the finest pieces of juvenile fantasy, but it is more than merely a story with children fighting the war of good versus evil. In this tale, the child protagonist has to face a harsh world bereft of the ignorance and innocence of childhood, which often is the defense which keeps them safe from the realities, that they are too young to understand and face up to. Lyra Belacqua, the precocious 11 old year girl who is the protagonist of the story, is an orphan, placed under the care of the professors at Jordan College, indulging in the childhood pursuits of playing and avoiding her studies. Like all the children of this world which she inhabits, she has a daemon, called Pantalaimon. The daemons of people who are much older are fixed and hence do not change their shape. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord Asriels and Mrs. Coulters influence on Lyra in The Golden Compass or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Daemons are the physical manifestation of a person’s soul, who take on animal forms once the character of a person has been entirely shaped, but in the case of Lyra, since she is a pre teen and her character is not yet completely rounded and fixed her daemon has the capacity of constantly changing its shape into myriads of characters. â€Å"The Golden Compass† is a scintillating story of Lyra Belacqua an orphan sent to Jordon College. One day, Lyra overhears a conversation between the Master of Jordon College and a representative of the sinister religious organization called ‘Magisterium. ’ They were planning to embark on an expedition to some place in the far North. The whole plan was fabricated by Lyra’s uncle, Asriel who was actually the child’s real father. One day while hiding in a cupboard, she overhears conversation about a plot to poison her uncle Lord Asriel, who was later revealed to be her father. When she tells him about the plot to kill him, he ascribes it to his plan to go to the frozen north, which is frowned upon by the professors. Lyras adventurous spirit is awakened and she too wishes to follow him, but before she can do that she is sent to live in London with Mrs. Coulter, a high society lady, who buys her beautiful clothes and tells her tales about the North. Mrs. Coulter is in fact Lyras own mother, a fact unknown to the young girl. Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are two of the strongest characters in this novel, and they are the ones whose influence is most seen on Lyra.