The Moorchild Sparknotes

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“To all children who have ever felt different,” Eloise McGraw’s The Moorchild begins. Based on Irish folklore, the 239-page fantasy novel tells of a young girl, half elf, half human, who struggles to be accepted by either half of her heritage. On top of weaving an absorbing storyline, introducing a little European mythology, and building a unique world, The Moorchild delivers a message that any young reader can benefit from. Opening with a challenge to society’s disposition towards “weird” things and then encouraging readers to accept their own weirdness, The Moorchild shows readers that it’s okay to be different. Moql was born to the folk, magical elfin creatures who live on the moor and surreptitiously cause mischief to humans. However, the …show more content…

She is not even aware of her heritage until later in the book. McGraw exaggerates this effect by portraying the villagers as perfectly conformist and simple. They are “good Christians” without original thoughts, aspirations, ideas, or critical thinking capabilities—comparable, almost, to domestic animals. McGraw combines this idea with a second: everyone, no matter how freaky-odd, has their own people. The “People” could be those who share your nature or simply those who appreciate it; it could be a group or an individual. Moreover, she shows that you will only find these people through accepting your nature and being authentic with yourself, not conforming to what is socially acceptable or crowd-pleasing. The Moorchild uses its plotline, the strategically timed unfolding of Saaski’s life, to show this sentiment. First, Saaski tries to fit in with the folk, hiding her human limitations, suppressing her human emotions. She is still rejected. Then, she tries to fit in with the humans, doing human things and living in human …show more content…

Despite the villagers’ views of it being “eldritch” and “not rightly ‘uman,” Saaski begins to open up to herself, spending her days on the “wild” moor and playing the “devilish” tunes of the folk. This leads her to meet Tam, a shepherd boy who lives on the moor and happens to love piping. Saaski finds her “people” in Tam. They bond over the ways they are alike—a love for piping, their wild, carefree nature, a home on the moor—and accept each other for the ways they are different. Combined, the two sentiments form a simple yet valuable message that every young reader can benefit from: it’s okay to be different. While it may sound like a run-of-the-mill statement, The Moorchild doesn’t just state it, it shows. It doesn’t say “love yourself,” it shows the happy changes that occur in Saaski’s life when she starts to accept her freaky-odd nature. It doesn’t tell readers “don’t bully weird people”. !,” it shows them how stupid they look while doing it. Which carries to the next point: unlike most stories with similar messages, The Moorchild isn’t just directed towards the outcast, but also towards the other side of the

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