Maggot Moon is set sometime in 1955~1975 when the space race was on. (I have a theory that it could also be a future where humans rebuilt and forgot about going to the moon before.) The space race is one of the main events in the book and there are many mentions about it. The location is most likely somewhere in Germany with a lot of right arms being raised and heels being clicked, likely to give the impression of a closely watching government. A lot of people are affected greatly by unseen characters who are only mentioned as "them" or "the Motherland".
Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Thursday, 5 September 2019
Protagonist VS Antagonist | Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Standish Treadwell is an okay kid. He is the 15 year old protagonist, narrator and main character of Maggot Moon. So far in the novel he has been bullied by prefects, seen to have a reading and writing age of around 4 years, and made the mistake of going over the wall to get a ball with his bud Hector. Well, all humans have those sides. His hero side is not too bad, but could use some working on. One heroic action was trying to stop his teacher from kicking Little Eric to death... but he failed that. Another one was standing up to Mr Gunnell, but sadly that was what led to Lil' Eric laughing at Mr Gunnell till he couldn't take it anymore.
So far the biggest antagonist is the government as they are watching everyone with cameras, bugs and spies. They are currently antagonising students and teachers at Standish's school through an intelligent-looking cloaked proxy with a gun, who I will refer to as "Cloakman."
Another antagonist (before being shot by Cloakman) was Mr Gunnell. This short-tempered, mean-spirited government fanatic of a teacher had done many offences against children such as beating them with a cane. After killing Eric, Hans Fielder (one of Standish's prior antagonisers) stood up for Standish as he had tried to save Eric. Cloakman believed the truth and shot Mr Gunnell in the face after seeing Eric's tarpaulin covered body.
The very first antagonists were the prefect Hans Fielder and his gang, who wore long trousers unlike the usual shorts. They were bullying Standish because they believed he was a dumb runt compared to them. After a bench was put in the far corner of the playground, they used that as a screen to hide the beating on him and other kids they considered "runts."
An Introduction to Maggot Moon
In English class everyone has been forced to read an exact genre of book, that genre being dystopian fiction. The book I "chose," Maggot Moon, is written by Sally Gardner.
It seems to be set somewhere in Germany. Every now and then there are people clicking their heels, stiffly raising their right arms and hailing the Motherland. The protagonist, Standish Treadwell, lives in Zone Seven. It is a place scattered with bombed-out houses and dodgy neighbours here and there. While reading this book, there are constant reminders that everyone is being watched. Cameras at school, a man in coat with a gun, government-paid spying snitches, and forced references to the Motherland. Even the evil government-loving teacher gets killed for kicking a student's head in.
Standish Treadwell writes very strangely. It reminds me of how I tell stories; he jumps from present to past to other time periods all the time, which would make it complicated for many people to follow. I for one am captured by his writing style. It highlights that he is mentally different from the other kids. You can also see that he is bullied, as he actually gets beaten up by a guy called Hans Fielder and his gang. He and his friend Trevor imagine about going to this planet called Juniper with Croca-cola plains and other beautiful scenery. Sadly, Trevor has already been established as someone who will disappear from the beginning of the novel.
The key challenge Standish faces is pleasing the government. If he gets out of step or continuously acts different, he will very likely be eliminated. (Some other challenges are bullies, cloaked men and angry teachers.)
Hope that was satisfactory.
Aight, I'mma head out.
Kyle
It seems to be set somewhere in Germany. Every now and then there are people clicking their heels, stiffly raising their right arms and hailing the Motherland. The protagonist, Standish Treadwell, lives in Zone Seven. It is a place scattered with bombed-out houses and dodgy neighbours here and there. While reading this book, there are constant reminders that everyone is being watched. Cameras at school, a man in coat with a gun, government-paid spying snitches, and forced references to the Motherland. Even the evil government-loving teacher gets killed for kicking a student's head in.
Standish Treadwell writes very strangely. It reminds me of how I tell stories; he jumps from present to past to other time periods all the time, which would make it complicated for many people to follow. I for one am captured by his writing style. It highlights that he is mentally different from the other kids. You can also see that he is bullied, as he actually gets beaten up by a guy called Hans Fielder and his gang. He and his friend Trevor imagine about going to this planet called Juniper with Croca-cola plains and other beautiful scenery. Sadly, Trevor has already been established as someone who will disappear from the beginning of the novel.
The key challenge Standish faces is pleasing the government. If he gets out of step or continuously acts different, he will very likely be eliminated. (Some other challenges are bullies, cloaked men and angry teachers.)
Hope that was satisfactory.
Aight, I'mma head out.
Kyle
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