Ocean At The End Of The Lane Analysis

The story, Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, comes from the perspective of a nameless narrator recalling the memories of a strange time from his childhood. The beginning opens with the narrator describing his day at a funeral before driving down to a place from his childhood, where he meets Old Mrs. Hempstock, and the story then begins in a late 1950’s England countryside. Our unnamed narrator is mostly a passive character who could be described as an introvert. He not only has no friends but also doesn’t have any real hobbies outside of reading books. During the prologue, the narrator gives a glimpse of his life several years after the events of the story and subsequently has very little to say about it. After the prologue, our supposed protagonist

She takes the narrator back to her farmhouse at the end of the lane where she introduces him to her mother and grandmother. Lettie then proceeds to show him the pond behind the farm which she calls her ocean, giving the story its name, Ocean at the End of the Lane. Lettie Hempstock, on the surface, is an eleven year old redheaded girl with freckles. Through conversation and her actions, she comes across as unusually mature outlook on the world. The first significant indication that she might be a little more than she seems is during a conversation with the narrator, where he asks, “How long have you been eleven for?” She doesn’t reply, and instead smiles (Gaiman 30). Without coming out and saying it, Gaiman lets the reader know that there’s something to Lettie that the narrator wouldn’t be able to explain. Without Lettie, the narrator is entirely powerless to the world around him - especially when Ursula Monkton comes into his life. She keeps him from leaving the property and even gets him in trouble with his father. The narrator eventually escapes to the Hempstock’s farm, where Lettie drives Ursula away (Gaiman