The Ocean at the End of the Lane

by

Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane Symbols

The Narrator’s Bedroom

The narrator’s bedroom symbolizes his idealized experience childhood before his family fell on hard times. In better times, the narrator’s parents went so far as to install a yellow sink in the bathroom that…

read analysis of The Narrator’s Bedroom

Cats

The three kittens and cats that the narrator owns over the course of the novel represent the narrator’s loss of innocence and his gradual acquisition of knowledge. The narrator’s first kitten, Fluffy, represents innocence—and…

read analysis of Cats

Food

Throughout the novel, the meals the narrator receives from adults correspond to the degree of care and love that the narrator receives from his caregivers—or the lack thereof. The narrator’s father’s usual offering of…

read analysis of Food

The Ocean

The mysterious, supernatural pond at the Hempstocks’ farm which Lettie calls her “ocean” symbolizes knowledge—specifically, a kind of knowledge that the novel suggests is unique to children. The narrator discovers this in no uncertain terms…

read analysis of The Ocean