Outside Reading, post 5

Quite a lot happened in the last eighty pages on A Great and Terrible Beauty. In a nutshell, Gemma learned that her mother had the same power as she does right now, and that her mother's friend is out to kill Gemma and her friends because they have the power too. For some reason this doesn't seem to bother Gemma very much, because she learned that her mother had killed a girl many years ago as a sacrifice to opent the realms and gain control over all magic. Gemma's mother said that the only way to restore the magic was to forgive her for doing such a horrible thing. Feeling angsty, Gemma disobeyed her mother's warnings and pleas and opened the realms. Naturally, chaos ensues, and Gemma's mother's friend, who's name is Circe, tries to kill Gemma and her friends. Pippa gets left behind in the realms while the other three manage to escape, but Gemma goes back to save Pippa. When she is in the realms alone, Circe tries to kill Gemma yet again. Desperate, Gemma says "Mother... I forgive you" (Bray 392). Somehow this destroys Circe, and Gemma is able to go save Pippa. However, Pippa does not want to go back, because she doesn't want to marry the man she is engaged to. So she eats some special fruit which forces her to stay in the realms forever. In a way, she committed suicide. So Gemma, Felicity, and Ann were saved, but Pippa died. Basically, that's the end of the book.

The theme the author is trying to press, in my opinion, is that forgiveness is rewarding to everyone. Gemma forgave her mother for not telling her about magic and killing the girl, and it saved Gemma's life. Later on, she forgave Kartik for stalking her and incessantly telling her to quit doing magic. She knew that he was just trying to help her, and that he intended no harm, and she should have been less cross with him. She tells herself, "Forgiveness... I'll hold on to that fragile slice of hope and keep it close, remembering that in each of us lie good and bad... choice and regret... No one can live in the light all the time" (Bray 402). She's telling herself that everyone makes mistakes, but there is no good in getting all moody and depressed about previous choices. It is best to move on, and know that what you do in the future is more important than what you have already done in the past.

This book reminds me the most of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." The main similarity of the books is the overall message. In ELIC, Oskar was hurt because of his father's death, and felt like he would never get over it. In AGTB, Gemma and her friends also feel many pains. She acknowledges this, telling Felicity, "We're all damaged somehow" (Bray 399). However, both books encourage healing, accepting the past and moving on into the future. In ELIC, Oskar finally decided to cooperate with his parents and get help to help him get over his father's death, rather than choosing to wallow in his grief. In AGTB, Gemma also learned to finally move on from her mother's death. At the end of the story, when her mother is taken from her in the realms and never to be seen again. She knows this, telling herself, "My mother is dead... She's truly gone now. I am alone. And somehow, this is as it should be" (Bray 393). She knows that it is better for her to stop missing her mother so much, because there is nothing she can do except accept what has already happened in her life.