Who Is Mr. Karle's The Gathering?

The Gathering is both a work of speculative fiction and a children’s book. Speculative fiction is a genre that involves things that do not exist in normal life and they are often allegories. The Gathering is ultimately an allegory for fascism and its negative effects but there are many aspects to the story that must be taken into consideration.

In The Gathering, the power complexes within the school strongly resemble social structures during Nazi Germany. The main leader, Mr Karle or ‘The Kraken’ resembles Hitler and his desire for complete and utter power is a toned down version of Hitler climbing up the ranks in Germany until he had ultimate power. He gained supporters by manipulating people and saying things that were ‘outrageous’ but they supported. One example is when Mr Karle defends the science teacher’s claims people should act more like ants: all working flawlessly under one leader. Nathaniel was the only person in the class who opposed the statement. For this, he was punished not unlike opposers in Nazi Germany. The Gathering represents the Nazi party and their desperation to gain members. In the book there are direct references to nazis such as “they acted like nazis!” but there is no extermination of a particular

group. Towards the end of the book there is the implication of taking over nearby suburbs and if they had not been stopped the extermination of people may have followed taking land, as the Nazis did.

Nissa is a strong female lead with sharp wit and is seen as a romantic interest for Nathaniel even though she's not pretty or feminine.

This contrasts usual portrayals of women in speculative fiction and the way women are seen in society. Nissa is clearly her own person, not just an object. She is necessary for the plot to continue as it does, not including the romantic subplot. Nissa had been manipulated by men in the past and overcame her fear of close relationships. She also does not end up with Nathaniel, a stereotypical ending for speculative fiction but it is implied they may get together. The careful writing of their relationship is accurate for teenagers, something not necessarily deep or something that takes over the whole

story.

The Chain and The Gathering are polar opposites. The Chain represents good and light while the Gathering represents bad and darkness. However, these terms are used to give members of The Chain a sense of purpose rather than show it how it really is. There is no such thing as true good and true evil but as teenagers are single minded and stubborn, this comparison aides their struggle to bring justice. Nathaniel’s mother is one of the neutral characters and she is able to recognise there is no good or evil, on page 149. She talks about the greys of life and how evil is a potential rather than a personality. This interconnects with the fact Mr Karle, the main evil in the book is not truly evil, but rather possessed by the evil. The real Mr Karle is probably a ‘grey’ character but acting as a vessel.

Often leaders are just a puppet for something else; Mr Karle was probably a decent person, he was just a puppet for the great evil. Politicians may not even believe in a lot of what they are saying as they have speechwriters and the opinions of the people to dictate their actions for them. One example of a politician who stuck to his own beliefs and failed was Tony Abbott. Tony used his own deeply religious beliefs to decide things and form opinions while other politicians are a mouthpiece for a greater amount of people. Adolf Hitler is seen as one of the most evil men in history but he would not have gained the amount of power he did if he didn’t have speechwriters who knew what would gain popularity with the people of Germany.

Communism is closely linked to fascism as it has one leader who controls everything. The people must work seamlessly together in order for the society to function. Communist countries include China and Russia. Both societies are controlling and are dangerous places to speak up in. People were killed in the Tiananmen Square Protests in Beijing when students protested to get an uncorrupted communist government. Even though they are just humorous, people who post offending memes of political figures in Russia would be asked to remove the meme or they would face a lawsuit. Such actions impact upon people’s freedom of speech and freedom to oppose their government. These actions resemble Mr Karle’s desire to stop Nathaniel from opposing the science teacher’s views.

This book shows how bad behavior is repeated throughout time and how mankind has a tendency to be bad. There had been a chain before Nathaniel’s time which had failed. The Gathering was the constant evil and it was said in the book that when the Chain was forgotten that the darkness could return. This is an example of how when a bad event happens people will do anything to avoid it occurring again but in a few generations when people forget how bad it was something similar will happen. Lallie who was a part of both Chains represents the constant good in people- something that does not age.

In conclusion, The Gathering uses language and references to society to make a children’s novel far more meaningful. It discusses things that are prevalent in both history and modern society. Its use of metaphors and allegories change the meaning of the story. The use of language features is common in speculative fiction and this story is no exception, with very clear examples.