Skellig Character review
Written by Amy Leitch
Hey guys,
I’ve recently finished reading the novel “Skellig” by David Almond and I really enjoyed. At first, I thought it was just going to be another one of those books that go on and on about the same thing over and over again. But no I thought it was very unique and this is what made me want to continue reading. I became more interested while continuing the book.
The book is about a young boy named Michael who is the protagonist and has just moved into a new but crumbling and rotting house. Michael discovers a secretive man in his garage…. But Michael is yet to know that he is not completely a man. With some help from a confident and positive girl next door, Mina, they both bring the mythical creature into the light to fly once again.
The one thing that stood out for me were the characters, how we can relate to them and how David Almond has connected us with the characters which can affect the way we view and judge them.
I’ve recently finished reading the novel “Skellig” by David Almond and I really enjoyed. At first, I thought it was just going to be another one of those books that go on and on about the same thing over and over again. But no I thought it was very unique and this is what made me want to continue reading. I became more interested while continuing the book.
The book is about a young boy named Michael who is the protagonist and has just moved into a new but crumbling and rotting house. Michael discovers a secretive man in his garage…. But Michael is yet to know that he is not completely a man. With some help from a confident and positive girl next door, Mina, they both bring the mythical creature into the light to fly once again.
The one thing that stood out for me were the characters, how we can relate to them and how David Almond has connected us with the characters which can affect the way we view and judge them.
Michael is viewed as a sporty and outgoing 11-year-old boy who tells us the story of his experience of meeting Skellig. In the story, Michael dreads going to school and does not like the idea of moving houses. I’m guessing most of you guys reading can relate as we have all been young and not many people like school due to homework and classes. David Almond has constructed the character like this, so Michael is respected by the readers as we can sometimes be like him and go through what he is experiencing. I wanted to continue reading the book because of this concept and I was happy there was someone else who experience the stress of homework and school. We can also relate to Michael as he is curious and is always wanting to give a helping hand and I’m sure you also want to as I always do. But the thing I cannot relate to him is the fact that his baby sister is dying and Michael struggles to stay strong about the situation. Michael had said “Can love help a person get better?” as he asked the doctor while worrying about his baby sister and Skellig. In this quote emotive language is used to connect the readers with the character or have an emotional effect with it. This shows he has a strong heart and cares a lot about people close to him or just wanting to give some support. Michael is a strong and loving character and David Almond has constructed him like this to connect him with us so we can judge Michael from our point of view and so he is admired by young readers.
Skellig
Skellig is seen as the mythical and mysterious character in the book and progressively reveals himself throughout the story starting with Michael finding him in the garage. Honestly, I don’t think Skellig is my favourite character in the story as he is very grouchy all of the time and doesn’t really want to get rid of the arthritis he has. I don’t know if David Almond has described him on the nice side enough for him to be liked by the readers. Some readers may like him because of his crabby tone. He appears a lot in the story. Therefore I wanted to continue reading. It holds the story together and it makes a lot more sense. So Skellig must be in the book because one, he is the main focus in the book and two, he makes the readers more interested in what they are reading. In the book, Michael said “Who are you? He simply asks and Skellig responds with “Something. Something like you, something like a beast, something like a bird, something like an angel. Something like that.” (Chapter 1).In this quote, the language feature used is a simile as Skellig compares himself to other creatures that are very or similar to him. Skellig shows how uninterested he is in getting healed from arthritis and highlights his grumpy and irritated side. Skellig has been constructed by David Almond as a helpless character who then has to hold the story together by being one of the main characters and that then connects the readers with him and is then viewed by the readers in many different ways.
Mina
Mina is considered the positive and courageous character in the story who I think is my favourite out of all the characters as she brings happiness into such an eventful book. David Almond has made Mina the more likable character in the story as she is always cheerful and looks at everything from a different point of view to everyone else. I can relate to her a lot as I’m close to her age and I am happy most of the time like her. Some of the readers can relate to her as she has a very different attitude towards school and does not like it but of course, she has never experienced it and we would maybe agree with her as we have experienced it and most students dislike it. In the book, she quoted "My mother educates me. We believe that schools inhibit the natural curiosity, creativity, and intelligence of children. The mind needs to be opened out into the world, not shuttered down inside a gloomy classroom.". Mina gives her own thought on school and puts it into her own words to express how she really feels. This gives the readers of an insight into how she lives in a few sentences and it also makes the readers really think hard about this type of thing. David Almond has made Mina a cheerful and bright character giving us a boost throughout the book and that is why Mina is respected so much by the readers and making us want to continue reading. I highly recommend this book because of Mina as she is my favourite character and I think she just makes the book so much better.
To conclude this blog I would first highly recommend this book as it is suited for all audiences. It is entertaining and you can connect with all of the characters or relate to them in many different ways. The one highlight throughout the book for me was the characters and how David Almond has connected the readers with the characters to affect the way they are judged and viewed. Michael (one of the main characters ) is viewed as a sporty and outgoing young boy who may relate to some of the readers as he tells his experience about discovering Skellig. Skellig is viewed as a mythical and mysterious creature who is found by Michael but is uninterested in being helped but this sometimes makes the audience want to read on. Finally, Mina is seen as a polite and positive young girl who is always wanting to give a helping hand to Michael and that is why she is respected by the readers and me. I think you guys should really try and find some time to just read Skellig and put some thought into this book as it made me think about a few things once or twice that I haven’t thought about in a while. I recommend this book 100% to young readers who have an open mind and is interested in this type of book.
Thanks for reading!!
