Both “Coraline” and “Goblin Market” are the stories of a hero who rescued her family from a danger. In “Coraline”, Coraline herself is the main character who rescued her parents. However, in “Goblin Market” Laura is the leading character who was deceived by goblins and experienced sufferings then was rescued by her sister in the end.
Apple was mentioned in both stories. However, what the apple connotes in each story is different. In “Goblin Market”, the apple represents temptation. The author described it as “sweet to tongue and sound to eye” to show how attractive it is. In “Coraline”, apples were mentioned many times, such as in the painting hanging on her grandmother’s wall, and when she decided to go to her other mother’s place for rescuing her parents, she also put an apple in the pocket. Coraline’s other father had made a midnight snack and coaxed Coraline to eat them. However, Coraline reacted “‘I don’t need a snack,’ she said. ‘I have an apple. See?’ And she took an apple from her dressing-gown pocket, then bit into it with relish and an enthusiasm that she did not really feel.” (page61). “Her stomach rumbled. She ate her last apple, taking the tiniest bites, making it last as long as she could.” (page87). Apple was almost always in Coraline’s pocket. She resisted temptation of midnight snack which her other father cooked by eating the apple when she felt hungry. When she was locked in the dark and very small room, she ate an apple as well. Coraline always had an apple with her. It indicates that apple gave her power, protected her from being imposed upon by her other parents. When she felt hungry, she ate apple and gained strength to continue to fight with her other mother. One can observe that apple represent hope and encouragement in “Coraline”.
Aside from the apple, the rats were mentioned many times in “Coraline”. Rats symbolize slyness and betrayal. When Coraline came across her other father in his study room, she asked him that where her other mother is. He answered that she was out and fixing the doors because of some vermin problems. Then Coraline asked him that if the vermin problems mean the rats, but her other father said that rats are their friends. (page70). Birds of a feather flock together. The other father said the rats are their friend, and the rats connote betrayal. Therefore, it also implies indirectly that Coraline’s other parents are wicked. Besides, the cat told Coraline: “but the rats in this place are all spies for her. She uses them as her eyes and hands…” (page75). It exposed the ill conduct of the rats. In “Goblin Market”, the depiction of the merchant men are “one tramp’d at a rat’s pace” (line73), and “the rat-faced spoke a word” (line110). It impressed the reader on unfavorable character of the goblins.
In “Goblin Market”, Laura fell a victim to the goblins’ allurement and ate the fruit. Once she had eaten the fruit, she became weaker and weaker day by day. Lizzie, who is Laura’s sister, couldn’t watch her sister suffer from the pain, so she screwed up her courage to go and deal with goblins. However, in “Coraline” there was nothing about how her parents were arrested or how they fell into temptation. Coralline just noticed that they were disappeared, and while she was trying to look for them, she saw their figures in the mirror with the letter of “HELP US”. Then she went to the other mother’s place bravery and challenged her by herself for her parents.
The motifs of “Coraline” and “Goblin Market” are rescue. In “Coraline” the leading character is Coraline who rescued their parents, but in “Goblin Market” the leading character is the one who was rescued by her sister.
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