Morris
Mileena Morris
22 January 2024
Caught In the Web
Coraline is a story based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, published on July 2, 2002. The story would be adapted into a film in 2009, produced by Claire Jennings, Bill Mechanic, Mary Sandell, and Henry Selick. Selick is also the director of the film. The story follows an eleven-year-old girl who finds herself in another dimension. She discovers familiar faces in this world, but the difference is they have buttons for eyes. This story is supposed to be a cautionary tale about how things are never as they seem. Coraline can be perceived in many unique ways. At the surface level, there is a lesson. For instance, if the audience looks closer, the story of Coraline portrays an eerie narrative of what is happening in her household, showing that danger can be closer than you think.
Coraline follows an eleven-year-old girl whose family just moved into an old house. Her parents are occupied due to their work with an upcoming catalog for their garden. This leaves Coraline with little to no attention from her parents. Bored and with nothing to do, Coraline discovers a tiny door. It wasn’t an ordinary door; this entrance led to another world. This world is exactly like her own, but everything is a better vision. Coraline later finds her “Other” parents. They are more attentive and caring to her every need. The only part is, they have buttons for eyes. It doesn’t take long for Coraline to realize that the other world isn’t as it seems. The Other Mother and the Other Father’s intentions were not flattering. They wanted Coraline’s eyes in exchange for living in this alternate world. The Other Mother would soon later be known as the Beldam. She wanted Coraline’s eyes because it’s said they are the windows to one’s soul. The Beldam wanted to trap Coraline. Later in the story, it’s revealed that the Beldam has trapped kids before. Coraline had to outsmart the Other Mother to escape. At the same time, Coraline was able to help the children before her. By collecting their eyes and bringing them back to the real world, their souls were freed. She obtained help from the neighborhood cat, the previous children, and her friend Wybie. By the end of the story, she is able to make it back to her world and has a deeper appreciation for her family.
There is symbolism happening throughout the story, such as the buttons. it’s shoved in the audience’s faces from the beginning. At first glance, it’s just one of the core elements in this other dimension, but why? Possibly it could mean a piece of the bigger picture. The buttons being sewn into Coraline’s eyes could mean to secure the bond between the Other Mother, like a contract between the two. As long as Coraline agrees to these terms, she can pursue a vibrant life. Unlike the world she’s used to.
Is this a contract, or is this displaying a common pattern happening in a toxic environment? If someone were to put buttons into a person’s eyes, they would not be able to see. Their sight is gone. It’s setting up this idea of turning a blind eye. When talking about a corrupted household, a few examples could be manipulation, gaslighting, verbal abuse, etc. Coraline's acceptance of the buttons would imply that she is willing to turn a blind eye to ill behavior. The other mother is insinuating if she wants to live well she has to do something for her, or else the luxury will stop.
Manipulation is what the Beldam is presenting. She’s very discreet when it comes to what she wants. For example, The Beldam made a doll for Coraline with planned intentions. The Beldam made the same doll for all the other children, to spy on their lives. She had a plan to swoon the children. If someone has the intention to trap someone, how do they tempt them? The person would have to lure them and make it seem like it’s safe.
The Beldam is the embodiment of manipulation. She is not as she seems. Later in the story, she is revealed to be a spider. One of the major things about a spider is its web. The web is needed when it comes to trapping other bugs for food. Coraline is the Beldam’s prey. That’s how it’s depicted in Coraline’s mind. The novel foreshadows this in Chapter 1, “She watched animals, birds, and insects which disguised themselves as leaves or twigs or other animals to escape from things that could hurt them”. Coraline was trapped, but she eventually ended up making it out in the end, right?
Pamela Li, a writer and a parenting specialist with a degree from Harvard University says “Many manipulative mothers are narcissistic parents. Narcissistic parents have inflated egos and a sense of self-importance. They manipulate their children to get what they want…”. (Li 2023) The Other Mother displays this perfectly. She is trying to force Coraline to do something she doesn’t want.
A narcissist has many telling signs. When it comes to the Other Mother, she has a superiority complex. This is not verbally said but it is demonstrated by her actions. Preston Ni, a professor who studies the areas of interpersonal effectiveness, has this to say “Often, individuals around the narcissist are not treated as human beings, but merely tools (objects) to be used for personal gain. Some children of narcissistic parents are objectified in the same manner”. (Ni 2016) This describes how the Other Mother views the previous children from before. She was just using them for their soul. You can also see this in the way she treats the Other Father. He is not seen as an equal to her, more so like a pawn. This was shown when the Other Father naively spoke about the process of implanting buttons into a person's eyes, the Other Mother's reaction was swift and chilling. With a single glance, it silenced the Other Father instantly, his expression morphing into one of unmistakable guilt.
There is a scene in the film where Coraline is trying to escape the other world, but it doesn’t take her anywhere. She just ends up back at the house. This can symbolize codependency and Isolation. Coraline is an eleven-year-old girl. her parents still have authority over her. It doesn’t matter how significant the conflict is. Coraline will still have to return to that environment. Since the Other Mother is manipulative it’s not a difficult thing for her to draw Coraline back in. It’s even easier to do when she feels isolated in her household.
So, what does the “normal mother” portray? Negligence. “Childhood emotional neglect occurs when a child’s parent or parents fail to respond adequately to their child’s emotional needs…” (Holland 2019) is what the writer Kimberly Holland had to say. Coraline’s normal mother wasn’t present emotionally or interested in what she had going on. Her mother was focusing all her attention on her catalog for her garden. Furthermore, the novel shows another example of this is on Chapter 1 “What should I do?” asked Coraline. “Read a book,” said her mother. “Watch a video. Play with your toys. Go and pester Miss Spink or Miss Forcible, or the crazy old man upstairs.” “No,” said Coraline. “I don’t want to do those things. I want to explore.” “I don’t really mind what you do,” said Coraline’s mother, “as long as you don’t make a mess.” Coraline’s mother is dismissive, her consciousness is elsewhere, and this is just a few out of many instances. The lack of attention from her mother leads her to create this false reality in her mind, to escape from what is real. If that was the case, why did it end so abruptly?
Everything wasn’t just in Coraline’s head. Her reality within her household is disrupted. The days when she goes to the other dimension and wakes up in the normal world hint at how she never left. Later in the film when the Other Mother isn’t satisfied, it portrays how it can feel like an endless nightmare. When Coraline tries to sleep to return to the normal world she is still stuck in that dimension. Going back to the depiction of how the Other Mother is a spider, the novel says in Chapter 1 “It was little more than a shadow, and it scuttled down the darkened hall fast, like a little patch of night. She hoped it wasn’t a spider. Spiders made Coraline intensely uncomfortable.” This expresses the mentality that when her mother is acting unhinged, it causes Coraline to feel tense.
Coraline’s mother's actions can appear like two different people. Her mother shows tendencies of borderline personality disorder. According to the Natural Institute Of Mental Health, “People with a borderline personality disorder may experience intense mood swings and feel uncertainty about how they see themselves. Their feelings for others can change quickly, and swing from extreme closeness to extreme dislike. These changing feelings can lead to unstable relationships and emotional pain”. (NIMH 2022) The Other Mother and Coraline’s mother are the same person. When the mother has this intense change in mood, it feels like Coraline is living in a completely different world. The mother’s feelings towards Coraline can change from loving to unconcerned. This also affects the people around her. They tend to have to suppress themselves.
An example of this can be seen in the film with Wybie. Wybie is Coraline’s friend. In the normal world, their friendship is steady. In the other dimension, Wybie can’t speak. His silence represents how he doesn’t have a voice in the presence of Coraline’s household. Wybie remains silent about everything. As an outsider looking in you can’t do much. On top of that, being a child, you lack the ability to stand up to an adult because there is this power dynamic.
This can also be seen with the dad. In the other dimension when the audience is first introduced to the Other Father, he is sitting at the piano. Instead of him playing the piano, the piano is playing him. Control is the theme of this alternate world. Everything from the buttons to the neighbors. Throughout the movie the Other Father follows the lead with the Other Mother, doing as she says. It is not until Coraline is on a mission to set the other children’s souls free that the father helps. He ends up sacrificing himself so Coraline can obtain one of the children’s eyes. This gesture shows how the Other Father cares and understands what the Other Mother sometimes does is not always in good taste. But, In the grand scheme of things, there is a power dynamic. The Other Father is just a puppet when it comes to the Beldam.
The cautionary tale of “everything is not as it seems” is more so about a person in her life. The Other Mother is just another side of Coraline’s mother. The mother goes through extreme mood swings to the point where it feels like Coraline is living in a different world. The Beldam is the inner ugly of how her mother can get. We are seeing how Coraline, an eleven-year-old child portrays borderline personality disorder through her own eyes. When it comes to the part where she finally gets to save the other children’s souls, it’s her way of believing it can get better. That’s what her mind is trying to convince her. If she trails in the right direction, everything will be alright. As for now, she will have to endure the rapid changes her mother goes through. The story of Coraline isn’t about a make-believe world or an alternative dimension. It’s the lens of a child’s household and how she copes with it.
Works Cited
“Borderline Personality Disorder - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).” National Institute of Mental Health, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder. Accessed 7 February 2024.
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. HarperCollins, 2009. Accessed 7 February 2024.
George, Rebecca. “Different Types of Buttons: A Guide for Sewing.” AllFreeSewing.com, 20 December 2019, https://www.allfreesewing.com/Basics-and-Tutorials/Different-Types-of-Buttons. Accessed 7 February 2024.
Legg, Timothy J. “Childhood Emotional Neglect: What It Is, and How It Can Affect You.” Healthline, 25 November 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/childhood-emotional-neglect#what-it-is. Accessed 7 February 2024.
Li, Pamela. “Manipulative Parents - Signs & Effects.” Parenting For Brain, 27 October 2023, https://www.parentingforbrain.com/manipulative-parents/. Accessed 7 February 2024.
Ni, Preston C. “10 Signs of a Narcissistic Parent.” Psychology Today, 28 February 2016, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201602/10-signs-narcissistic-parent. Accessed 7 February 2024.
Selick, Henry, director. Coraline. Written by Henry Selick, Focus Features, February 6, 2009.