Tammy’s Reviews > The Princess and the Goblin > Status Update

She finally reaches the mica window and the fiery red opals. Then she reaches the pile of stones outside where Curdie is making up rhymes. She does not know what to do because the thread seems to have disappeared. She cries and then decides to return home. The string behind her has vanished and she can only move forward. She cries some more on the pile of stones outside of Curdie’s hole.

She turns down the road where she firt met Curdie because he had been coming from the mines. She sees a stream running alongside the road. Soon, the stream goes into a hole in the mountains as does the thread. THIS IS THE ENTRANCE TO HELL. She shudders but goes in the darkness and follows the thread. She remembers her grandmother, the lamp, and the fiery red roses. She follows the thread for a long time.

In terms of imagery, Curdie is trapped in the land of night which is anti-sun. Irene is in the day which is anti-moon. The creatures were household pets that hit her door and somehow Lootie sleep through it all. The thread takes her up the mountain. It’s a beautiful spring morning. Perfect weather. She can see her thread shining in the sunlight. She is cheerful as she follows the thread with her rosy forefinger.

Ch. 20 Irene dreams about the goblin creatures and waks up in a fright. She remembers what her grandmother told her and she puts the ring under her pillow. She feels a hand take it. Then she sees her grandmother’s sky-blue cloak and puts it on her. She feels for the thread and finds it. she holds it lightly and follows it but it does not take her upstairs. She goes downstairs and goes through a door to the backyard.

She is definitely a bully and threatens him. AFter they leave, Curdie tires to make the hole larger but it is impossible. He decides to preentd to be dying sooner rather than later. He uses this lull to make up more rhymes. I love that RHYMES are a weapon.

The king says she is a positivie genius for conquest. Curdie starts up with one of his new rhymes to their great horror. They trheaten him and he tells them to go for it. He’s trying to lure them before they get to week. They decide to go to bed and Curdie really riles her up with a rhyme about her toes. They have a big argument because the king wants her to go without her shoes when she goes to bed and she refuses.

She wants to let their creatures on him. The king agrees because they do not know how much Curdie learned about their operations. The idea is to tie him up after he is weak and let the animals tuck in. The queen wonders why the goblins don’t just kill off the sun-people since they are so weak. They could us upstairs as an outhouse. They could keep cows so that they wouldn’t have to steal cream and cheese.

Ch. 19 Curdie wakes up after a very long sleep. He can’t tell if it’s day or night. The goblins sleep during the day because they like to avoid the sun-people. Since he hears them talking, Curdie believes it is night. They talk about starving Curdie. Sun people have to eat more often than goblins. The queen says she should have a say because she caught Curdie. She doesn’t want to waste fresh meat.

She grabs him and throws him in a hole before he could do anything with his pickaxe. The goblin heaves a slab against the hole that lets only a sliver of light into the hole. Then they piled stones against it. He’s so worn out he falls asleep.

Curdie shows them his bites and calls the king Your Majesty. He tells Curdie to leave but the latter requests a guide. The king grimly says he has a thousand. After being surrounded by goblins, Curdie starts making up new rhymes, which are the most powerful. They hold back until the rhyme is over, then they crowd him so he starts stomping on feet (their vulnerable spots). The king with her stone shows goes up to him.