preview

Comparing Mcdonald's The Princess And Curdie

Decent Essays
Open Document

The Princess and Curdie, mainly focuses on the journey of the story’s two heroes: Curdie and Lina. Curdie is the young, vibrant, protagonist of the story and is depicted in a manner that is mostly positive. Lina, on the other hand, is a creature who was initially seen as a horrendous, ugly beast. Throughout the novel, we begin to see that there is more to her than just her looks. She proves to be a worthy partner and protector of Curdie throughout their various battles, all the way until her mysterious disappearance at the end of the novel. The first time we meet Lina is when Curdie goes to meet the Old Princess at her dove tower. Curdie describes her as, “an animal whose gruesome oddity even he, who knew so many of the strange creatures… had never seen equalled” (MacDonald 64). For the main protagonist of the story to speak of Lina with such a negative tone, causes the reader to start out with a somewhat biased opinion of her. Later on, when she appears at the feet of the Old Princess, Curdie is able to get a better glimpse of her entire body, even calling her a “horrible mass of incongruities” (MacDonald 76). It seems as though Curdie, like must humans, judges those he encounters based upon their looks before he has an opportunity to see what kind of soul they possess. …show more content…

The Old Princess instructs Curdie to use this power on Lina, and although initially hesitant to do so, he discovers that Lina may not be the beast he originally thought she was. Instead of holding the paw of a vicious animal, Curdie sees what appears to be the “neat little hand of a child” (MacDonald 76). This is the first instance in which the reader can see the qualities that Lina possess and how she will use them to protect Curdie throughout his

Get Access