How Percy Jackson and Portal explore similar themes to make the protagonist more relatable Percy Jackson and the lightning thief is a novel written by Rick Riordan published in 2004, and was adapted into a movie, released in 2010. Percy Jackson and the lightning thief focuses on Percy Jackson, a 12 year old boy with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. Percy discovers near the beginning of the story that Greek mythology is all real, and that he is the son of Poseidon, God of the sea and one of the three most powerful gods. Chell, the protagonist of Portal, was a test subject at Aperture science, a fictional laboratory which has been using people as test subjects to test various technologies including a portal gun. Chell spends the majority of the plot fighting against the antagonist Glados, an evil artificial intelligence controlling the tests at Aperture science. It is implied during the plot of Portal that her parents are Cave Johnson, the founder of Aperture Science, and Caroline, Cave’s assistant whose consciousness became Glados. On bring your daughter to work day, a newly created Glados killed most of the employees of Aperture Science, including Cave and Caroline, sparing only few present people, including Chell. Both Percy Jackson and Portal explore the theme of Family through the reveals of the …show more content…
protagonist’s parentage, even if Chell’s are speculative. This reveal of their parents works alongside the theme of isolation to make the protagonists more relatable. The other major theme explored across both texts is Perception vs Reality. This is used differently in both texts, and for different reasons, however both are used to great effect. One of the themes explored in Percy Jackson and Portal is Perception vs Reality. In Percy Jackson, this is through the use of the ‘mist’. Mist is used to explain why the humans within the Percy Jackson books do not see the monsters and gods. This shows the different Perceptions of Reality within Percy Jackson, it is somewhat subtle within the narrative, compared to in Portal which is more obvious. Portal uses the Portal gun, and by extension, portals, to show a contrast between the world within Portal, and the real world. Both the mist, and the portal gun are used to highlight the juxtaposition between reality, and the way in which the reader/ player is experiencing said reality. Percy Jackson is told through the first person perspective of Percy so that the reader is taken on the journey as well, and learns as Percy does. In Portal, the plot is told through snippets of narration from Glados, and Cave which play throughout, as the player experiences the world through the perspective of Chell, also allowing the player to learn about the lore of this world, as the protagonist does. Another theme which is used in Percy Jackson and in Portal is Family.
The family of Percy is explained and expanded throughout the plot, to the same effect as in Portal. In both texts, the author/ developer has used this constantly evolving information to make Percy and Chell more relatable. This is due to information being gained the same way in the real world, in that all the information is not given at once, but slowly acquired. This approach to exploring the origins of these characters, means that as they gain information and it changes them, the reader/ player who is experiencing this is changing and growing with the
protagonist. The final major theme explored in both Percy Jackson and Portal is Isolation. Isolation is explored differently is each text. In Percy Jackson, Percy feels isolated when he finds out about his father, and how the world really works. Even before then, Percy always felt isolated due to his ADHD, dyslexia, and constantly changing schools. This isolation dissipates towards the end of the plot, due to Percy realising that others have gone through the same experiences. In Portal, Chell’s isolation never disappears. The theme of isolation in Portal is due to Chell being alone throughout both games. Chell never interacts with another person while within the Aperture Science test chambers. Chell’s only interactions while here is with Glados, and recorded messages from Cave Johnson. In both stories, isolation makes the protagonists more relatable, because everyone can relate to feeling isolated and not fitting in. Causing the reader/ player to relate to the protagonist is difficult to accomplish and is handled in different ways. In Percy Jackson, Percy is exposed to many situations which children can relate with, including being left out, being the new kid at school, and being angry at his parents. In Portal this is primarily accomplished by making Chell silent throughout the entire plot, turning her into a blank slate, so that her personality is never explored. Percy Jackson and Portal both use the themes of Family, Isolation, and Perception vs Reality, to make emotional connections with the reader/ player, allowing them to more easily relate to the respective protagonists.
Mark of the Thief is a book written by Jennifer A. Nielsen. This book is the first in the “Mark of the Thief” trilogy and is set in ancient Rome around the year 400 CE. The story itself takes place primarily in the city of Rome and the mines south of Rome where the story begins.
Percy jackson who is a twelve year old boy from new york. He tends to get kicked out of school but One day he went on a fieldtrip to a museum, which an incident happen and a teacher pulls him over to talk about it but what really happen is that she turn into a greek mythology creature which tries to attack him. Before she tries to act percy's teacher Mr.brunner throws a penny which turns into a sword that ends up helping percey kill the creature. Soon enough it was the last day of school which his mom brings him to a beach house. That night their was a huge storm which end up making them leave but by them leaving they end up getting attacked by minotaur. His mom sally jackson ends up getting taken away from the minotaur which she disappears
The movie Percy Jackson : The Lightning Thief, can be considered an epic based on Percy's bravery,intelligence and honor. Percy Jackson, who has discovered himself to be a demigod which means he is partly human and Greek God. At just 12 years old his life was not the very best. His biological father abandoned him and his mother when he was a baby. He has a stepfather who treats him and his mother like they are worthless. Percy also does not do the best in school with his dyslexia and ADHD. Everything changes for him when demons and other mythical creatures falsely accuses him of stealing a lighting bolt from the Greek God Zeus. Anyone will do anything to get to get back Zeus lighting bolt more the fact that they would have control. But to prove that he didn't steal Zeus bolt Percy, Annabeth and Grover has to travel to
Percy Jackson is just another typical twelve year old kid, although he may seem like it at first being a troubled kid, and kicked out of several schools. But that’s until Percy’s life takes an extraordinary turn. It all starts when Percy discovers that he has ADHD and Dyslexia, meaning his bloodline is half descending from a Greek god. This secret was kept from him his entire life but was released through a series of events on a field trip. Mr. Brunner, Percy’s Latin teacher, brings him to Camp Half-Blood, where all the mythical beings and other half-bloods reside. During his stay at Camp Half-Blood, Percy finds out about the identity of his true father, who happened to be Poseidon, one of the big three, as some would say. To be the son of Poseidon
"I didn't steal it! And I have no connection to Poseidon." was said by Percy Jackson, the protagonist in The Lightning thief. Percy Jacson personality was like his mood swings. For this reason is because In the book He can be calm talking to Grover one minute and get angry the next tailing to Nancy Bobofit. Plus, Percy gets mad at Nancy Bobofit for bullying Grover and him. He always lets his curiosity get the best of him even when he hears people talk to him.
This is the true start to Percy’s quest. He made a few friends in the camp and they agreed to go on this journey with him. Those accompanying him were his protector Grover and Athena’s daughter Annabeth. They also get some helpful tools fro...
The Lightning Thief is about Percy Jackson, a 12 year old boy who has troubles at home (violent step father) and troubles at school (dealing with ADHD). During what seems like another normal day, he's attacked by his math teacher, only to learn that she is a monster called a harpy. Things only get crazier when he is saved by his best friend Grover, who reveal he himself is not human either, but is in fact a satyr, a creature from Greek myths. Percy learns of a world he never knew existed. He is in fact the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and he is what is called a demi god, half god and half human. Grover takes Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for demi gods that are hunted by monsters. There he meets other half bloods, like the daughter
Percy Jackson is a true hero. Imagine if you had the chance to save your mother, but put your own life at risk. When Percy was given this chance, he never even thought about his own life. When he saved the world, he didn't care if he put his own life in immense trouble. When he met his half brother, he stood up for him, not caring if no one liked him after. It is clear that there is no way that Percy Jackson can be thought of anything but a hero, which is what he truly
The encounters various people come across in their life define the characters and personalities they develop. Family structure, an experience element frequently ignored, plays a significant role in the development of an individual’s personality. Outstandingly, the family is a sanctified union that greatly cultivates the character of an individual. The traits that a person develops from the family as they grow up in highly contribute to the type of parents they become in future. From the past to date, authors have always created awareness on how everyday family activities can influence the character of those involved. Events that negatively affect an individual could lead to dysfunctional families in future. O’Connor and Hemmingway are not
Percy Jackson is the main character in this story, who is a demi god, who mortals are after. His name is short for Perseus and his father is one the big three gods, Poseidon. He is suffering from dyslexia and ADHD, which could be deliberately added to the character by Riordan, to show he is meant to be a hero, and not to do well in school. This shows that school is not what he is good at, and he is destined to be a hero and save people.
Both Harry Potter and Jane Eyre grew up and lived with their relatives. Harry Potter lived with the Dursleys while Jane lived with the Reeds. Reading their story and how they had to live every single day of their lives with such cruel, unkind and selfish relatives is heartbreaking. However, throughout the course of their story, their experiences and difficulties helped in shaping their characters and eventually taught them valuable lessons that inspire and reveal the goodness that is in them.
...and through an unfolding of events display to the reader how their childhoods and families past actions unquestionably, leads to their stance at the end of the novel.
“Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”, is a movie adaptation of the similarly titled novel “The Lightning Thief”, written by Rick Riordan. This movie was directed by Chris Columbus and was not well-received during the time in which it was released, due to its substantial differentiation from the novel. Throughout this film, it is clearly made evident that there are several differences between this film adaptation and the original novel that this movie was based upon. The most apparent of these differences can be found in the development of the central characters of the narrative and the sequence of events that occur throughout this movie adaptation. Due to the differences that
The first novel in the series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, is where Percy's Hero's Journey begins, encompassing the first five stages. The Ordinary World, the first stage, introduces the main hero. "The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma" (Campbell). Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD, lives in New York with his loving, overworked mother and abusive stepfather. He begins his story attending a boarding school for "troubled youth" and has a less than spectacular time being the new kid.
In the second installment of The Heroes of Olympus, The Son of Neptune is a thrilling adventure written by Rick Riordan. The book begins where The Lost Hero left off. Percy, also in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, is wandering Southern California with no memory of where he came from or who he is except one name, Annabeth. Being chased by three gorgons, Percy stumbles upon, with the help of Hera/Juno, Camp Jupiter. In the Roman camp, Percy joins the 5th cohort, which are the misfits of the camp, and befriends Hazel the daughter of Pluto and Frank the son of Mars, who are the biggest misfits of all. Percy and his newfound friends are soon called on a quest. Their mission is to recover the missing standard of the entire legion. They board the Pax, a small rowboat which makes up the entire Roman navy, and embark on their journey.