Almost every story, good or bad, long or short, will have an antagonist to fight against the hero and try to defeat them. Whether it’s Harry Potter or Horton Hears a Who, someone, or something, will stand in the protagonist’s way. In Ocean at the End of the Lane, that person is Ursula Monkton.
Ursula comes into the story when the narrator and Lettie go into the woods and find her. Lettie’s first conversation with Ursula is an argument, and I can’t imagine that that got them off to a good start. While in the woods, Lettie made the boy promise to not let go of her hand so that she could keep him safe. However, he lets go, releasing himself of her protection. He doesn’t know it at the time, but this gives Ursula a foothold in his life. “I brought her here, I thought, and I knew that it was true” (Gaiman 40). With Ursula now in his life, it will take a lot of hard work to get her out because she is very …show more content…
The dad almost drowns the boy in a tub full of ice cold water because he refused to eat the meal she prepared. His dad admits to never hitting his kids, but his willingness to be violent seem to drastically change after Ursula comes into the picture. “Your daddy likes me now. He’ll do whatever I say...And every night, he’ll drown you in the bath, he’ll plunge you into the cold, cold water. I’ll let him do it every night until it bores me, and then I’ll tell him not to bring you back, to simply push you under the water until you stop moving and until there’s nothing but darkness and water in your lungs. I’ll have him leave you in the cold bath, and you’ll never move again” (Gaiman 52). Ursula knows what powers she has in controlling the boy’s life because of her relationship with his father. She knows what she can do, and isn’t shy to let him know that she will make his dad kill him if she has
Ursula comes into the story when the narrator and Lettie go into the woods and find her. Lettie’s first conversation with Ursula is an argument, and I can’t imagine that that got them off to a good start. While in the woods, Lettie made the boy promise to not let go of her hand so that she could keep him safe. However, he lets go, releasing himself of her protection. He doesn’t know it at the time, but this gives Ursula a foothold in his life. “I brought her here, I thought, and I knew that it was true” (Gaiman 40). With Ursula now in his life, it will take a lot of hard work to get her out because she is very …show more content…
The dad almost drowns the boy in a tub full of ice cold water because he refused to eat the meal she prepared. His dad admits to never hitting his kids, but his willingness to be violent seem to drastically change after Ursula comes into the picture. “Your daddy likes me now. He’ll do whatever I say...And every night, he’ll drown you in the bath, he’ll plunge you into the cold, cold water. I’ll let him do it every night until it bores me, and then I’ll tell him not to bring you back, to simply push you under the water until you stop moving and until there’s nothing but darkness and water in your lungs. I’ll have him leave you in the cold bath, and you’ll never move again” (Gaiman 52). Ursula knows what powers she has in controlling the boy’s life because of her relationship with his father. She knows what she can do, and isn’t shy to let him know that she will make his dad kill him if she has