Author: Jessica Spykers Title: “Coraline: Exploring How Crossing Boundaries and Breaking Taboos Can Result In Strengthened Familial Relationships” Source: Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Fall, 2020). Published by: The Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga Stable URL: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/prandium

1 In “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” Stephen Prince (2004) discusses the theories of Mary

Douglas and Edmund Leach of how the loss of humanity is represented by the breaking of taboos and the crossing of boundaries.1 In this essay, I apply ideas from Prince’s paper to the 2009 film

Coraline. Grounding my paper on the insider versus outsider distinction, I will argue that Coraline

Jones’ “inside” is an adult-centered world, whereas the “outside” world is a fantasy world with no rules. I will also examine Coraline’s decision to violate her mother’s rules and the consequences that follow. Through this taboo-breaking, Coraline conveys a two-fold message that crossing boundaries to desired fantasies result in both (a) chaos and disconnection to humanity and (b) a deeper appreciation for (and connection to) family members. To draw this conclusion, the parts of the film that I will focus on are conversations between Coraline and her parents; depictions of

Coraline and her explorative tendencies; the differing settings in both “worlds”; and Coraline’s entrapment in the “other” world alongside her beldam mother.

Insider versus Outsider:

Writing about the film, The Thing, Stephen Prince bases his paper on notions of fear and monsters while introducing a larger discussion on individuals in social spaces and sources of danger. Upon analyzing individuals in different social spaces, Prince discusses the insider and outsider worlds and the notion of taboo through the support of both Mary Douglas and Edmund

Leach’s work. To understand how the crossing of a boundary/ breaking of a taboo can result in these two opposing worlds, the insider versus outsider distinction must first be defined. According

1 Jessica Spykers is a graduate from UTM who double majored in History of Religions and Sociology. She originally wrote this paper in Dr. Ken Derry’s Reel Religion course in the Fall 2019 term. She is currently a Teacher Candidate at Brock University pursuing her teaching career in the Primary/Junior division. She wants to give her heartiest thanks to Ken Derry for overseeing this initial project and Professor Petrakos for his assistance in publishing this article.

2 to the ideas introduced in Prince’s work, the “inside” is a system of defined social roles and forms; whereas the “outside” is the absence of all distinction and is formless.2 The connections of rules and chaos with systems of disorder, however, take two forms— through social spaces and physical attributes. With Prince emphasizing the physical attributes of systems (dirt, pollution, etc.,) and only briefly discussing social spaces, this article will analyze Coraline through both systems— human relationships and rule-breaking, along with the differing nature of the worlds’ settings— and connect them.

Moreover, The 2009 film Coraline introduces a young girl named Coraline who, due to her parent’s professions, moves to an unfamiliar world where she must meet new friends and start a new life. Unfortunately, for a young girl, a new town that is dark and gloomy, with a scarce amount of kids her age, is not ideal. After being warned by her neighbours, Coraline decides to venture through the hidden door that takes her to an “outside” world where her life is mirrored and everyone has button eyes. As a result of Coraline’s constant crossing over to the other world, she creates conflict with her “other” mother, loses her real parents to the other world, and meets the

Three Ghost Children who have been deceived as well. Fearful of the “other” mother, the Three

Ghost Children confide in Coraline and tell her how they were spied on through the doll’s eyes — resembling the doll Coraline was anonymously gifted— and were lured with treasures, treats, games, etc., until they agreed to have buttons sewed as eyes resulting in entrapment. With this,

Coraline her parents, and the children’s release from the “other” mother and prevention from having her own eyes replaced, lies in her ability to retrieve the Three Ghost Children’s eyes.

Following Prince’s theory then, Coraline’s “inside” is an adult-centered world where she is expected to comply with her parent’s rules and what the “bosses” say. For instance, she cannot

2Stephen Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing: Toward a Social Theory of the Horror Film,” in The Horror Film, ed. Stephen Prince (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2004), 124-125.

3 play outdoors because “mud makes a mess,” and she must stop bothering her parents so they can work in peace. Her parents devote their energy toward their careers, leaving Coraline feeling neglected and unwanted. When attempting to make simple conversation with her parents, their responses show clear disinterest. For instance, they say, “Coraline, I don’t have time for you,” and

“I’m busy right now.” At one point, Coraline recounts a near-death experience to which her distracted mother responds with “uh-huh… that’s nice”. Consequently, it is Coraline’s feelings of loneliness and neglect from her parents that compel her to transgress through the secret door into the otherworld – her “outside,” the place with no rules.

During her exploration of her home, Coraline comes across a hidden door and this sparks her interest. Without her parents’ knowledge, she crosses through this secret passage and discovers her “other” parents. When discussing her adventure with her mother,3 she is told to stop. Although it is clear that her mother is unaware of the reality of Coraline’s journey, she still hides the key to prevent Coraline from ever returning to this so-called “other” mother. So, although it was because of her parent’s instruction to explore that she found the secret door, her mother now imposes a new rule—that she must not continue going to visit her “other” mother.

From the start, Coraline is depicted as a young girl who finds joy in the exploration of the natural world around her. At the beginning of the film, Coraline explicitly says, “I do not like being stopped.” This declaration foreshadows her failure to comply with rules as she is determined to complete whichever journey she pursues. While alone at home, Coraline searches for the key to the locked door and disobeys the new rule her mother imposed on her, using the key to enter her fantasy world once more (fig. 1). Through her violation, Coraline breaks a taboo that was put in place by her mother. A taboo is defined as an explicit prohibition governing behaviour that is

3 “Mother” will refer to Coraline’s real mother, whereas the beldam will be expressed as “other” mother.

4 accompanied by a sense of sin if violated.4 So, although the first few entries into her fantasy world do not result in any punishment for Coraline, it is only when she breaks this taboo (her mother’s rules) that chaos begins to unfold. More specifically, it is after breaking this taboo that she becomes trapped, indicating a clear consequence of violating her mother’s rules.

Fig. 1: Coraline finding the key her mother hid from her.

It is through Coraline’s exploration of her house that she is drawn to the discovery of unknown territories. Accordingly, Coraline’s outside—her fantasy world—contains an absence of all distinctions. This fantasy world that Coraline unveils is one that offers her all that she desires in her own home, which her real mother and father fail to provide her. There are several major differences between the two worlds, including unlimited food, colourful gardens, and her “other” neighbours whose presence Coraline surprisingly enjoys. The most significant difference is that in this otherworld, her “other” parents provide her with unlimited care and affection—something that was very much lacking in her real home. Coraline’s “other” father explicitly says, “mother said you would like it […] she knows you like the back of her hand”; and in fact, Coraline becomes quickly convinced that her mother does not know her as well as her “other” mother does. However, among all differences, the abundance of food is most distinguishable between both worlds (fig. 2).

At home, her parents are so preoccupied with work that they are stuck with leftovers and make-

4 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 120.

5 shift food; however, in the otherworld, Coraline is not only served a table full of varying foods, but she can also magically wish for certain foods that will suddenly appear. For example, despite all the food surrounding her, Coraline requests a milkshake, and an entire tray full of flavours appears before her eyes (fig. 3). Food brings people together, and it is through the abundance of food that her beldam mother shows her care for Coraline. Overall, this otherworld is considered

Coraline’s fantasy because there is a breakdown of authority where she—rather than her parents— is in control.

Fig. 2: Coraline’s fridge at home Fig. 3: Coraline choosing her mango milkshake

Nature:

To further differentiate these two distinct worlds, there is a clear emphasis on their overall natures in the film. The adult-centred world is depicted as dull and gloomy, whereas the fantasy world is full of colour and wonder. Mary Douglas argues that although dirt represents chaos, that chaos is only possible because we have created boundaries. In other words, “where there is dirt, there is also a system.”5 And so Coraline’s adult-centered “inside” world is synonymous with order; there is mud, but she cannot play in it. This world is also dull, dark, and gloomy, containing plainly dressed individuals and dead plants (fig. 4). When shopping for clothing, Coraline spots a

5 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 121.

6 pair of orange gloves that she wants because they will set her apart from her classmates who wear boring grey uniforms. Here, there is a clear depiction of the inside world as ordered, as all community members wear similar drab clothing, and the scenery is associated with darkness.

In Coraline’s fantasy world, there is a drastic change in scenery as the darkness and gloominess of the film transforms into colour and vitality (fig. 5). The most notable shift is that rather than ridiculing her desire for playing in the dirty outdoors, her “other” parents tell her, “we love mud here.” By expressing their interest in correspondence to Coraline’s, her other parents reinforce the notion that their world is a fantasy—one where Coraline’s family loves nature as much as she does. Along with this, Coraline’s bedroom is transformed from a dark grey to bright pink and includes photos of her friends back home. Also, here there is beautiful scenery, lights, and a full garden. Of course, it is later revealed that the neighbourhood is in fact evil, and was disguised by the “other” mother by ensuring it had everything Coraline dreamed of, as a strategy to lure her into the otherworld. This perfection itself highlights the inhumanity of the otherworld: there is no dirt, and consequently, no defined patterns of order. Rather, the “other” mother strategically designs a fantasy world that corresponds exactly to the different children’s preferences.

Fig. 4: Dull, dark, and gloomy insider world Fig. 5: Colourful outsider world full of wonder

Moreover, there is another drastic organic absence in the otherworld—one that more explicitly disrupts human nature. The individuals in the otherworld are characterized by their lack

7 of human eyes, and instead, have buttons as replacements. Mary Douglas argues that the loss of humanity is represented by the breaking of taboos; so perhaps, the absence of real eyes could be considered taboo.6 Prince argues that eyes form an easily permeable barrier against the outside world.7 The initiation rite to remain in this fantasy world is one that involves the exchange of human eyes, for sewed on button eyes (fig. 6). So, this could be regarded as a “compulsive symbolic exchange in which members of a social order affirm the importance of their cultural inheritance.”8 Given that all members of the otherworld have button eyes, they could view the treasured human eyes as a symbolic exchange—one that initiates them and legitimizes the child as a member of their world. Ultimately, it is through the exchange of their eyes for their fantasy world that the children experience a loss in humanity—as they are giving up both their family, along with their eyeballs, for a promised world where their dreams become a reality.

Fig. 6: The eyes of the ghost children

6 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 129. 7 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 122. 8 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 129.

8 Defeating the Monster:

As a parallel to Prince’s discussion of The Thing, before the monster9 appears, life is dysfunctional and filled with tension.10 Unhappy with their move and dissatisfied with her weird neighbours, Coraline expresses disinterest toward everyone and everything in her life. Although her “other” mother at first seemed perfect since she gave Coraline all she wished for, once Coraline refused to exchange her human eyes for button eyes, the “other” mother revealed her true beldam self (fig. 7). Prince classifies such monsters as confronting the shadow side of human order: they represent cosmic pollution and threaten to erase the distinctions within the bounded human world.11 Here, not only is the “other” mother casting the shadow side of human order—literally the real mother— but she also spends her time strategizing ways to lure children from out of the real world, to trap them into hers.

Fig. 7: Coraline’s “other” mother reveals her true evil self

Coraline believed that she was trapped in her boring old home and that the fantasy world would be the solution to her problems—after all, it did contain parents and neighbours who showed tremendous attention to her—however, now it is the other way around. After the “other” mother unveils her true evil self, Coraline becomes trapped in the otherworld with the “other” mother who

9 Prince uses this description to describe the “thing”, but I used the term monster for the sake of this paper. 10 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 123. 11 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing,” 126.

9 of course does not care for her at all, while her real parents who do care get trapped within a mirror.

There is even a reoccurring black cat that appears to Coraline and says, “You probably thought this world was a dream come true. You are wrong.” So, this situation reinforces the idea that sometimes boundaries are necessary and the other side may not be as ideal as it seems. For instance, if Coraline respected her parent’s rules and did not cross the boundary to the “other” world, she could have prevented life-threatening dangers on her family.

Alternatively, this lesson to be learned about crossing boundaries is two-fold. Yes, this entrapment is a good reason why crossing boundaries causes chaos and disconnection to humanity.

However, the second argument is that crossing boundaries can result in a deeper appreciation for family members. The overall theme of the film is to “be careful what you wish for.” Coraline felt sadness toward her parents who did not give her the attention she was so desperately craving; so, knowing that her “other” parents went above and beyond by granting all her wishes, she continued crossing through the secret door into the otherworld. When things become chaotic and her “other” mother traps her parents, Coraline then begins to feel sadness, realizing it is her fault that her parents were trapped. Not having her real parents physically with her, leads to the realization that she needs her parents’ company to live a happy and safe life. This is seen when Coraline prepares for sleep, props up two pillows next to her in bed that resemble her parents, and kisses the pillows goodnight before crying herself to sleep.

After awaking all by her lonesome, Coraline begins expressing her sadness for her parents in several ways. First, she sees her parents trapped behind a foggy mirror writing the words, “help us” and then while looking at memorabilia of their family vacations, Coraline says to herself,

“they’re not coming back, mom and dad, not on their own, only one thing to do”. With the realization that the beldam was the one who took her parents from her, Coraline angrily throws her

10 parents’ doll into the fire and plans on taking revenge, and the only way to do so is to enter once again, into the otherworld and face the beldam. However, this time Coraline is crossing through boundaries not to cause more chaos but to save her parents.

So, essentially, crossing boundaries can be a good thing because it is through her exploration that she lost her parents, only to discover her deep admiration for them and a huge feeling of loss without them. Throughout the entirety of the film, Coraline was hostile towards her parents. With the other mother giving her everything she wanted, her plan to turn Coraline away from her real parents succeeded. However, after trapping the parents, Coraline expresses sadness without them and embarks on yet another dangerous journey through the door to the otherworld.

In this way, the film conveys the message that with too much order and no chance to explore the world, individuals remain stuck in the same position in their lives and don’t encounter risky moments that allow them to question their current behaviours and attitudes.

It becomes ironic that Coraline’s love for exploration and games is what her parents were initially annoyed with, but then it turns out to be the thing that saves —and almost destroys—them.

Prince explains that with “strong resourcefulness of the human community through solidarity and efficiency, the monster can be defeated.”12 By making a deal with the monster, Coraline agrees to exchange her human eyes, only if she is unable to find the ghost children’s eyes, along with her parents who have become trapped in the mirror. So, by taking on the monster and potentially sacrificing her own life, Coraline risks her own life to save the others in her community. After this intense game of hide and seek, Coraline defeats the monster as she has guidance from all her loved ones to help retrieve the hidden goods.

12 Prince, “Dread, Taboo, and Thing,” 123.

11 In the end, Coraline’s efforts to restore the social order succeeds, and the community is seen coming together—relationships are renewed, neighbours are helpful, and the garden is alive.

When she first moved to the new town, Coraline was an unhappy individual who argued with her parents and was uninterested in building relationships with others in her town as she thought they were strange. However, after her encounter with the beldam and almost losing her parents,

Coraline realizes her appreciation and love for her parents, and all the neighbours gather to collectively renew their dark and gloomy town. If it was not for her rule-breaking and crossing into the other world, Coraline would have continued living in a town that showed no love to her.

Ultimately, Prince argues that any threats to the social order are also threats to humanity.

Through her luring of children, the exchange of human eyes for buttons, etc., the “other” mother’s behaviour depicts that there is a blurred line between the insider and outsider world. The monster initially attracts Coraline by painting herself as the ideal mother in an attempt to draw her away from her real mother. Despite Coraline’s mother locking the key away to prevent Coraline from returning to the otherworld, she crosses again because she knows what awaits her. Consequently, there is a threat to Coraline’s life in the real world, her familial relationships are disrupted, and eventually, this situation results in both her own and her parent’s entrapment in the otherworld. In this way, Coraline is an excellent depiction of what it means to be human. The film emphasizes the need to affirm boundaries, as it depicts the chaos that can unfold once they are broken down.

However, it is through the mistakes we make and the resulting chaos that we can grow as people and form deeper relationships with those we care for, and who care for us.

12 Works Cited

Coraline. Film. Directed by Henry Selick. United States: Focus Features. 2009.

Prince, Stephen. “Dread, Taboo, and The Thing: Toward a Social Theory of the Horror Film.” In The Horror Film, edited by Stephen Prince, 118–30. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2004.

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