The Golden Compass Theme

The Golden Compass Theme

By: Zhanna McAtee

            “The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman, contains the characters Lyra and her dæmon, Pan, who overhear Lord Asriel talking about Dust, which is a magic-like substance found mostly at the North Pole. This small piece of gossip changes their lives forever. Children start disappearing, and after being kicked out of their home, Lyra and Pan travel to the North Pole with some gypsies in order to rescue their missing companion, Roger, who was Lyra’s best friend before he was taken by the “Gobblers,” who are the source of the kidnapping of all the adolescents. During their adventure, Lyra and Panencounter all sorts of trouble, such as armored polar bears, the “cutting,” people without dæmons, and the seemingly attractive Ms. Coulter, who is more dangerous than she appears.

            Throughout the book, there was a constant theme of perseverance. Lyra remained persistent, no matter how far she had to go to rescue her friend. Rodger had been her best friend for as long as she could remember. They shared a bond of strong love, and since they were both small children at the time, they played together all the time, just like they always have. When she first found out he had been captured, Lyra freaked out, asking everyone if they had seen him recently, and screaming his name, trying in vain to hear him return her calls.

            Lyra traveled all the way to the far North for Rodger, and it took many difficulties just to get to the harsh ice lands. First of all, Lyra was kicked out of her home, and was almost killed by robbers. Then, she witnessed death after that gypsies found her. Luckily she knew the gypsies, so she was able to rely on them to keep her safe. However, if I were 11 years old, like Lyra was, I would be very scared, and maybe to frightened to go on. Two men were killed within feet from where she stood. Even for a grown person, that would be an immensely discouraging and haunting memory. I would want more than anything to be able to forget that moment and move on. Yet, Lyra continued on with the Gypsies, even after being a witness to murder.

            In order to get to the North, Lyra had to first convince the leader of the Gypsies to let her go with a bunch of men on a dangerous expedition to save all the other children. This is no easy feat. Then Lyra and Pan had to spend months on a boat, bored and confined in a tiny cabin, and hardly ever allowed to see the sky. For me, not seeing sunlight for weeks on end, in a small, foul smelling cabin while seasick would be hell on Earth. We take sunlight for granted. And yet, Lyra and Pan keep on going! It’s astounding what they go through, just to save one boy. As I said before, this perseverance is shown time after time after countless time throughout the plot of the book.

            When Lyra and Pan finally made it to the North, they had to escape the clutches of Ms. Coulter, and release her uncle from a prison protected by armored bears, who are possibly the most fearsome creatures throughout the land. They put up with freezing cold, fought with and against witches, rescued a building full of children from a fire, released a room full of trapped dæmons, got away from scientists who wanted to separate Lyra and Pan from each other, flied through the sky in a balloon, and had to overcome many other obstacles before finally rescuing Rodger. And then, even after their journey seemed complete, Rodger was taken away from Lyra and Pan for a final time, before being sacrificed.

            Lyra almost gave up her life on countless occasions to save someone she cared about, and yet after being almost torn apart physically and mentally, Rodger was still stolen from her, just as she was about to succeed in bringing him back home. After being through such mental torture, and being shattered just as hope was finally allowing itself to filter itself back into Lyra’s life after being through so much, I would have excepted Lyra to have gone insane. She at least should have been depressed beyond measure, or maybe given up all hope and died in the icy tundra around her as soon as Rodger fell lifeless into her arms, but no. After being through the worst kind of pain that I can scarcely begin to imagine, Lyra and Pan stand up strong, follow their fears, and take off to follow the very man who killed Lyra’s best friend into a whole new existence, leaving their whole world behind them, and giving up everything they ever had. This courage and persistence overflows my heart with encouragement that anything is possible, and that if an 11-year-old girl can go to the North Pole and save tens of young lives, then I can easily pass my math test. Such trivial things don’t seem worth complaining about. If Lyra and Pan can endure for months in the cold, then I should be able to study one night without complaint.

            In fact, Lyra and Pan were not the only ones who persisted through thick and thin. The children who were kidnapped kept trying again and again to escape their capturers. Instead of giving in, they fought to protect themselves and each other. Also, Lyra’s uncle, who was locked up behind bars and guarded by armored bears, still continued his studies, not matter how jailed he was. He didn’t give up his belief in what he was experimenting on. Ms. Coulter kept searching for Lyra, no matter where she went. Rodger never gave up hope in Lyra. These are all examples of persistence from the book, “The Golden Compass.”

            Perseverance in our own lives is crutial. People who lack the physical and mental strength to endeavor never accomplish anything, and sometimes can become depressed or commit suicide, if things get really bad. New businesses can crash and burn, students fail out of school, relationships fall apart, and all other sorts of terror grips the parts of the world that lack inspiration to persevere. However, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. If you keep trying your hardest and refuse to be beaten down, you can do anything, no matter how daunting it seems at first. Don’t forget, you have perseverance at this very moment. It took you effort to read this paper! Just let that feeling grow and bigger accomplishments will follow.