Is Mandragora all about journey and discovery? Discuss this in relation to Adam and the Reader

English Essay

Is Mandragora all about journey and discovery?

Discuss this in relation to Adam and the Reader

Introduction.

At the start of Mandragora Adam is very shy and during the book he develops into a self confident and mature person. Adams life changes when he finds five mandrake dolls in a cave known to exist by local legend. What he doesn’t know about them is that they are cursed; they end up causing all sorts of disasters, which are somehow linked with the disasters that happened on the Dunarling an 18th century barque. Journey and Discovery could mean Adam’s personal journey or the journey of his relationship with either his father or Catriona.

Adam’s Physical and Mental Maturity

This is a key aspect of the book. Adam matures both physically and mentally throughout Mandragora and we see him grow from being afraid to talk to others to saving the town from the curses of the Mandrake dolls. This shows us that the Adam we met at the start of the book wouldn’t be ready to do this. Therefore it is obvious that he has changed and matured since he discovered the mandrake dolls. His maturity has earned him respect from his father which is something Adam has wanted throughout Mandragora. ...

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Adam’s Physical and Mental Maturity

This is a key aspect of the book. Adam matures both physically and mentally throughout Mandragora and we see him grow from being afraid to talk to others to saving the town from the curses of the Mandrake dolls. This shows us that the Adam we met at the start of the book wouldn’t be ready to do this. Therefore it is obvious that he has changed and matured since he discovered the mandrake dolls. His maturity has earned him respect from his father which is something Adam has wanted throughout Mandragora. Towards the end this is shown when Adam’s father helps him up after his fight with Hamish Lechie.

Adam’s Relationships.

The relationship with Catriona is the main relationship of the book. There are many highs and lows of Adam and Catriona’s relationship such as Catriona’s incident with the university students which is a low point in the relationship. A high point would be when Catriona saves Adam from the Cave Just after they met. Their relationship is also similar to Jamie Ramsey and Margaret Colquon’s relationship. The other main relationship is with Adam and his father. At the start of the book Adam really doesn’t get along with his father and he is forced to play sports. This is a quote from Adam’s father at the end of the book “A man wants the best for his son, you know not make the mistakes he did.” This explains why Adam’s father is so strict.

Mandrake Dolls/Past and Present

There are the four curses in Mandragora, Bleeze, Mischance, Mischance, foulness and Fa’ doom. They come in the form of Tam Dubh, Snell, Agley, and Smeddum. We learn about the horrors of the Dunarling and how they are linked with the events of Modern day Dunarling. For example the fire at the Dunarling museum is linked with the fire on the Dunarling and the water poisoning is linked to the viaduct incident. There are many links between the past and the present in Mandragora. There are obvious ones like Jamie and Margaret, and Adam and Catriona, and there are less obvious parallel events like what I have explained earlier.

Conclusion

We have covered certain important points about the book and these show that Mandragora IS all about journey and discovery. There are points that argue and support this theory but I hope you have discovered the real theme of Mandragora.

By Adam Cawthorn.