The Hidden Moral of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Hey guys, taking a break from adventuring for a while so I'm sorry I haven't uploaded any of my adventures But, I do have something interesting for you. My good friend Sophie has written an analysis on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children; and I thought it was a pretty interesting read. If you haven't read my article interviewing Jacob Portman from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Go to my blog pages, and it should be there.

Don't worry about me guys, I'll be up and and about doing what I love most soon. Until now, Ciao

-Travis

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Aside from whimsical characters, and fairy-tale like destinations, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs can be very much interpreted in reality. But how can a girl who can light fires with her hands, a woman who can alter space and time, as well as a boy who escapes from villainous soul eaters be possibly related to the twenty first century? The answer itself can be more obvious than you think.

It’s found within the novel’s main hero: Jacob Portman. Within the first few pages of the book, Mr. Portman does not regard himself very highly. Readers take a first glimpse of our hero’s life as he stocks products in a pharmaceutical store. Jacob hates his job, wants to be fired from his job, and he constantly has to take care of his frantic, mentally unstable, grandfather. He accepts his life as it is, as said through the very first line from Jacob “I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen.” (pg 12). When his grandfather dies, Jacob’s stability falls too. He feels lost, and goes through stages of grief. He then ventures to a place where he thinks he will find answers, and discovers people who are like him. Jacob then realizes that he does have a purpose to exist. He is also a peculiar, and thus he has a super power of his own. He is able to live his life to the greatest potential. Jacob manages to find meaning within his abilities. Through the character development of Jacob Portman, readers are able to infer the theme of self discovery. Self discovery is what most teens go through in their stage of life. It can be exemplified through finding a group that has similar interests, or finding what career path is the most fitting towards a person. Finding a place to fit in and be happy is the epitome of leading a meaningful life.

The theme of self discovery can also be seen through the characters, which are the most colorful element in the novel. Each character exhibits their own different power. These powers include bringing inanimate objects to life, incredible strength, the ability to manipulate plants etc. Throughout the course of the novel, each character is vital to the progression of the plot. Each of their powers helps them to get out of a tricky situation, or adds to the development of the character. Characters such as Emma, Fiona, Hugh, Olive, Millard, Enoch and so on all live in one, solitary house that is isolated from the outside world. An important moral: “It’s alright to be different, because there are other people that are like you” are expressed in the novel. Each character describes how their lives were miserable in the outside world because they were either abused, or mocked at because of their abilities. But when they all meet each other, they find meaning within their abilities and find happiness.

The theme of the story, as well as found in the characters, exhibit similar stages that young adults go through in their lives. They might find themselves lost in the torrent of life, and question the purpose to their existence. Teens may feel that they do not fit in because they are so different, and may be even mocked because of it. But, as the book points out, it’s all about finding that group of people that make that person feel special, and to help them to give meaning to their lives.