Long Lankin 2

A Hidden Conflict


Currently, I am still reading Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough. More information was revealed in the book about Long Lankin and his past. The "curse" that plagues his victims (after their "death") was also revealed. So far, Cora and Roger have found out that Mimi will quite possibly (and most likely) be Long Lankin's next victim, so they must find a way to destroy or stop Long Lankin before he hunts Mimi down. 

While reading, I noticed a few things about Cora. Firstly, she loves her sister (Mimi) dearly, secondly, she is terrified of Long Lankin (much like everyone else in the story). Usually, this would not be extremely special, however, in the story Mimi is destined to be the next victim of Long Lankin. Therefore, if no one saves her, she will suffer the same fate as the other victims of his. Throughout the book, it has been obvious that Cora would do anything to keep her sister safe, as said in the text (the quote is said by Cora):"I'll get you home, Mimi,' I whispered. 'Honest. Soon as Auntie gets back, I'll tell her we're going, even if I've got to carry you all the way to London myself. I'll look after you, keep you safe." This proves that in order for Cora to keep Mimi safe, she must conquer what seems like an impossibility, she must overcome her fear of Long Lankin.

I found that in almost every story, especially mystery/horror/adventure books such as this one, tend to carry a conflict that's always between the main character and him/herself. It is usually about how the main character overcomes his/her fears/worries in order to acheive his or her goal. In Long Lankin, Cora must overcome her fears of the monster in order to protect her sister. There is always a struggle within the characters of these stories. And these struggles are the less obvious, but always present, struggles of the characters/storyline.

I think that authors like to do this because it represents how many of us feel everyday in real life. We are always battling against ourselves, always conflicted between decisions. We always seem, even subconsciously, to debate within ourselves what is right or wrong. I think that if one never pauses to question him/herself, he or she would be too confident to succeed in life. No one is always right, so the only reason why someone would never question him/herself  is that he or she actually thinks he/she is always right. And that by itself would already prove that he/she is wrong.

Everyone has their fears and doubts, but sometimes in order to succeed, we must overcome those fears, much like how characters in books do. Except usually, reading about how to overcome fears, is a lot easier than doing it.