Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, written by Ransom Riggs, is one of the books I was most excited about to read. Books regarding finding identity suit me better than books about innocence or love. This is the only book of which I know nothing about.
Finding one’s true identity is one of the most important aspects of life. Erikson (Erikson, n.d.), states that teens and young adults need to develop a sense of personal identity. ‘’As they make the transition from childhood to adulthood, teens may begin to feel confused or insecure about themselves and how they fit in to society. As they seek to establish a sense of self, teens may experiment with different roles, activities and behaviors.’’ (Erikson, n.d., p.4). It is important to form a strong sense of self before going in a certain direction of life. Erikson (Erikson, n.d.), also states that the ones who have made a strong commitment to their identity tend to be happier and healthier than those who have not. Ones with a status of an undeveloped identity tend to feel out of place in the world and do not pursue a sense of identity. The latter is also portrayed in the book, Jacob’s father turned out to be lost in the world due to not finding his true identity. ‘’He was forty-six years old and still trying to find himself, still trying to prove he didn’t need my mother’s money.’’ (Riggs, 2011, p. 254).
This book is a perfect example to let teens or young adults read, because it focuses on the main character’s development of finding his identity and therefore becoming his true self. One might think that this story is about Miss Peregrine’s home, but it actually is about the peculiar children who live there. They are all different and all have something special about them. When Jacob ends up in Miss Peregrine’s home he doubts if he will fit in with people who can float and be invisible. He eventually finds out he is just like them as he had a peculiarity of his own.
The balance between the realistic and relatable aspects of the book is one of the reasons I like this story. Jacob’s search for identity is relatable as one searches for a place to belong in real life too. The relationship between Jacob and his grandfather is also quite realistic. People often have special bonds with their grandparent/grandchild. Telling stories and bonding over having the same interests are things people do regularly. The relationships Jacob forms with the peculiar children can be seen as relatable as people form friendships by experiencing things together and again, have the same interests or experiences. When having a real bond, you feel protective of one another, that is how Jacob feels about the people he cares for. The fact that Jacob has to make certain choices can also be inspirational. At one point he has to choose between Emma or his grandfather. People can interpret this as a choice between family or love, which is a common choice some people have to make in their life. ‘’Young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people. Success leads to strong relationships, while failure results in loneliness and isolation.’’ (Erikson, n.d., p.2).
However, the storylines regarding summoning fire, monsters and being invisible are not as realistic as these gifts, or peculiarities, no not exist in real life. Despite the latter, this can actually be a stimulus for teens and/or young adults to read this book.
Aside from the fact that this book can help them develop a sense of self through relatability, it can also broaden their creativity through imagining certain scenarios. Therefore, this book is a perfect fit for teenagers and/or young adults.
During my Literature II class, I discussed my findings and opinion in the book with three other people. Our points of view complemented each other perfectly as one thought of a certain aspect the other had not thought of yet. We discussed the main character Jake who stopped believing his grandfather’s, who he calls grandpa Portman, stories after a certain point. After grandpa Portman dies, Jacob starts to believe him again. He starts to search for his identity as well as the one of his grandfather. After finding that they are fairly similar, Jacob feels more connected to him.
Since Jacob’s father was not fully in the picture during the story, we concluded that the main role models are Jacob’s grandfather and Miss Peregrine.
Looking back on my thoughts before I started reading, I find myself being a bit disappointed. Although this story is engaging and perfectly fitted for teenagers and young adults, I found myself expecting more as I kept reading. I think this is because I focus on the facts and the realistic sides too much. However, this book is perfect for people with creative minds.
S. Kalicharan
Erikson, E. (n.d.). Erikson’s Stages of psychosocial development. Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://hubl.hu.nl/archive/file/23516
Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children [EPub]. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Sharinna/Documents/Hogeschool%20Utrecht/Jaar%202/Periode%203/Literature%20II/Books/Search%20for%20Identity/01_-_Miss_Peregrine’s_Home_for_Peculiar_Children[1].pdf
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