This week we are discussing Part II: Bolvangar of His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post contains spoilers for His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass.
Discussion:
Jacilyn: Hello readers! Welcome to our second discussion of The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Today we’re discussing Part Two: Bolvangar. We get to meet a bunch of new characters and find out more about Lyra’s destiny right off the bat in this part. The witch consul, Dr. Lanselius, acts as a go-between for humans and witches, and was familiar with Farder Coram. It’s clear that Farder Coram and Serafina Pekkala share a mutual love of some sort, even after four decades. Dr. Lanselius promises to get a message to Serafina Pekkala, but that’s all he can guarantee. He also tells Farder Coram about the witch’s tale of a girl who will save them all, but unknowingly, which is obviously similar to what the Master of Jordan told the Librarian - Lyra must make her own decisions and mistakes along the way, without knowing the bigger picture.
Michaela: I find it so intriguing that the Master of Jordan and as Dr. Lanselius said, the witches both talk of a prophecy about Lyra. I desperately want to hear the entire prophecy. I actually loved Dr. Lanselius’ character. I know we only get to spend time with him for about 5 minutes but I think he’s great. I appreciated that he wasn’t trying to hide anything from Farder Coram and Lyra, he was just waiting for them to ask the right questions. He reminds me of Iorek Byrnison in that way. Also, I want to mention how clever Farder Coram is to ask Dr. Lanselius “If you were me, what would you ask of the Consul of the Witches?”. Brilliant. Then learning in the beginning of Part Two that Farder Coram saved Serafina Pekkala from, presumably, another witch’s daemon attacking her. I need to know more about this whole relationship and about the witches. I feel like there was so much in this second part of the book that just adds to my growing list of questions.
Jacilyn: I would definitely read a Farder Coram/Sarafina Pekkala short story. We already knew Farder Coram was an incredible man, but the fact that he is held in such respect from Serafina Pekkala and the witches’ consult just reinforces that. I am also very curious about Dr. Lanselius’ background. His title of Dr makes me wonder if he might be a scholar that “specializes” in witches, and has become consult because of that? But at the same time, he clearly has a deep, personal understanding of witch customs and lore, which he appears to also live by. I really enjoyed the subtle political back-and-forth Farder Coram and Dr. Lanselius had going on there for a bit. Both men were observing clear customs and expectations of politeness, which went completely over Lyra’s head. Just goes to show how knowledgeable Farder Coram is. That line of his is great, and clearly Dr. Lanselius agreed, because he gave quite the tip indeed.
This part was extra exciting for me because two of my favorite characters appear, Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby. Now, I promise I won’t mention the film or tv adaptations often, but I did want to say that I always imagine Lee Scoresby as Sam Elliott’s character in the film, but upon this reading I realized that he is described a bit more like Lin Manuel-Miranda’s character in the television show…. The Lee described in the book isn’t necessarily the comedic relief or clever ne’er-do-well that Manuel-Miranda is, but he is certainly less stoic than Elliott is. Anyway, Iorek and Lee are another pair that I would definitely read a short story about. They’re both sort of outcast, loner characters, and the respect and friendship they have with each other is so wholesome.
Michaela: I wondered if it’s possible that Dr. Lanselius might be half-witch, half-regular human and he chose to go to school. I think that would be kind of cool. The back and forth between Farder Coram and Dr. Lanselius is amazing to read, I’m horrible at political conversations so I had to read it twice to make sure I was catching and understanding everything I’m supposed to. They are both obviously very clever, intelligent, and understand how the world works. I also appreciated that Dr. Lanselius knew Farder Coram was lying about Lyra not being able to read the alethiometer and that Lyra noticed it. Lyra is really perspective when she wants to be.
I think Iorek Byrnison and Lee Scoresby are my favorite characters of this book, along with Farder Coram. I still read Lee as Sam Elliot, it fits perfectly in my head, just a younger Sam Elliot. As someone who has watched a lot of Sam Elliot’s stuff I thought he was a perfect choice for the character. I like Manuel-Miranda’s portrayal but it doesn’t fit how I read him but that’s okay.
I love a good loner character who has one to two really good friends and that is both Iorek and Lee. They are both very stoic and yet funny when they want to be. The mental image of Lee sitting on Iorek’s armor, as he was diving for a seal, to protect it from the townspeople. Just casually sitting with his gun directly pointed at the sysselman’s stomach. Love it. I can not get enough of Lee and Iorek, honestly. Also, speaking of Iorek and the pansorbjørn, the way Iorek describes his armor as a comparison to human’s daemons is fascinating. The alethiometer even told Lyra that the priest thought there was a spirit in the armor and was trying to draw it out. There’s so much discussion about spirits inside objects that make them run like the spy bug and the alethiometer then there’s spirits on the outside of humans. It’s just so freaking cool, I can’t get enough of it.
Jacilyn: Y’know, that could be it. I wonder what happens when witches mate with humans? Another aspect to add to the short story. I love the scene with Lee on Iorek’s armor. He’s so casual about it, and jumps right in with Iorek and the gyptians as if no time has passed between himself and the bear. And then he knew of Grumman too, and told Lyra that there’s no way the tartars scalped him, because he was a part of a tribe himself. We get this first clue that Grumman is still alive, and that he has some knowledge of Dust himself. It seems to me that Dust and spirits are synonymous in many ways. I think it was Pantalaimon that posited that Dust makes the alethiometer work; the Magisterium believes that daemons attract Dust upon settling; Iorek refers to his armor as his daemon and the priest believes there was a spirit in the armor, like you mentioned. It all kind of comes full circle.
Which brings us to Tony Makarios, who was separated from his daemon by intercision at Bolvangar. The sight of a human without a daemon was literally the source of nightmares for all the humans in that village, and Lyra also. It was like the poor little boy was wandering around without his soul, and in spite of what the doctors told Lyra at Bolvangar, it is clearly an awfully traumatic experience. I bet that the adults Lyra sees at Bolvangar who seem sort of detached encounter less trauma than Tony did because they are allowed to keep their daemons afterwards, whereas Tony was left without Ratter. They never really address why they kept the daemons after the intercision process, when they basically let the kids out to die somewhere. Most likely for research, but that’s never really explained.
Michaela: I’m very interested to hear a more fleshed out explanation of Dust. It’s obviously involved in every aspect of life in this universe. Which makes the General Oblation Board members and supporters referring to it as evil and so on is first of all confusing and second intriguing.
When we meet Tony Makarios I won’t lie that I also felt the fear, sadness, and repulsion that Lyra felt. The book so often mentions how sacred, special, and necessary the connection between humans, in particular children, and daemons is. I gave me goosebumps to read and it was just so heartbreaking how confused Tony was. I think it’s possible the adults who have been separated from their daemons might be in a permanent state of shock but can still somewhat function because they get to keep them. All of these adults don’t seem to care about much until it’s a stronger emotion such as confusion during the fire drill and anger when Lyra was questioning them about Dust. Which brings the question, why do they take the daemons away from the children and not the adults? Also of course, what is the separation operation truly for?
Lyra was so brave to go to that village and save Tony, though she didn’t know that’s what she was going to do. Then when she defended Tony holding his fish made me emotional. She was completely right, that is all that child had was a dead fish to cling to because his soul had been ripped away from him. She carved Ratter’s name into a coin and put it in Tony’s mouth like the scholars in the crypts at Jordan College and I’d be interested to know if that is a kind of magic in this world. Especially since she, Roger, and their daemons felt the energy change in the crypts when they moved the coins around as a prank.
This brings me to the Station. Lyra and Roger have such love for eachother and are able to communicate so much without speaking is beautiful and a true friendship. I love the faith Roger has in Lyra, it’s like he knew that by her being there he was going to be okay. Then together Roger, Lyra, and Billy Costa find the room with the separated daemons so quickly, they all work so well together. Someone we haven’t discussed yet is Serafina Pekkala’s daemon Kaisa who plays such an important role in this journey. Such an amazing character to meet. And the fact that Kaisa can use magic on his own while being so far away from Serafina is mind blowing to me.
Jacilyn: I love the scene of Lyra screaming at the gyptians for taking Tony’s fish away. She’s so fierce and passionate about everything, which is a quality that makes Lyra seem both innocent and wise beyond her years. I really think that it’s this quality that makes her the child of prophecy, that gives her the ability to read the alethiometer on her own, and act as such a natural leader. And it’s this passion that makes her appealing to off-beat friends like Farder Coram, Lee, and Iorek. They all recognize this inherent strength in her. Lyra has always been a character that I look up to. She noticed something was off with the nurse at the Station right off the bat, also, even though she couldn’t pinpoint why she felt that way. I always get so excited for her reunion with Roger and Billy, and to experience Lyra interacting with other children again. Like I said, she’s a natural leader, and while she’s gained the trust of Roger and Billy over the years, she and Pantalaimon were able to figure out what was needed to keep each child running as they escaped.
Kaisa, and witch’s daemons in general, are so fascinating to me. Their ability to be far away from their witches is really interesting, and so is their ability to use magic. I wonder if Kaisa was able to reunite some of those freed daemons with their kids, or if that was a fruitless effort. Without Kaisa, I’m not sure that the gyptians could have liberated Bolvangar. Kaisa told them about the Station’s defenses, led them there, and coordinated the escape with Lyra. Which was quite the intense scene, by the way. Each time I read the part where Lyra and Pan are almost cut, I get so terrified, even though I know how it ends. I can’t imagine the revulsion that Lyra must feel while lying to Mrs. Coulter, being able to see through her manipulation and knowing that the woman is her mother.
Michaela: Lyra interacting with other children and especially her just being a child is so great. Her learning to play ball with the kids was such a beautiful moment, it’s been so long since Lyra has been able to just play and be a child. The fact that Lyra and Pantalaimon were able to figure out what each child needed was so cool, they’re so perspective and compassionate.
I want to know how much of it was just Kaisa and how much was Kaisa and Serafina. I don’t know if witches and daemons share as much thoughts as the other humans do with their daemons, with the distance. I love the comparison between the witches being able to be physically distant from their daemons while also being lovingly connected and Mrs. Coulter being separate from her daemon which always seems really sinister to me. But I agree with you, I don’t know that the Gyptians could have won the fight at Bolvangar without the witches and Iorek. They would have gotten there too late I think. Iorek and the witches showed up just in time before the Tartar guards started shooting at those kids as they were trying to escape.
Can we talk about how Mrs. Coulter likes to watch the children be separated from their daemons? What the hell is that?! She is so fucking creepy. She seems obsessed with controlling Lyra rather than loving her, that’s for sure. I can’t imagine being in the same room as that woman and then Lyra knowing that she is her biological mom, that has to hit in a whole new messed up way. Mrs. Coulter then appeared out of nowhere after the escape to get Lyra and the alethiometer back. Also, Roger attacking Mrs. Coulter and head-butting her to help Lyra is one of the best things in this whole book.
Jacilyn: I think that the witches and their daemons can stay in communication, even from a distance, because Kaisa seemed to be relaying information to Serafina Pekkala about the advance on Bolvangar, but I’m not sure that they’ve explicitly said that yet. I almost wonder if Mrs. Coulter had her daemon willingly cut, and just has a strong personality that counteracts the apparent “blank brain” effect it has on adults? But it’s also clear that the adults running Bolvangar are of a different breed entirely. Mrs. Coulter likes to watch the intercision happen, the gaslighting doctors try to convince Lyra that she’s imagined things, and the doctors that caught Lyra eavesdropping touched Pantalaimon, which goes against every taboo in existence. It was so awful that it sickened Lyra and shocked her completely. I don’t think we can overstate how much of a violation that was. Lyra, Roger, Iorek, and Lee made quite a team as they escaped, though, and I love the thought that Lyra literally burned part of Bolvangar to the ground.
Michaela: I just wondered if the witches daemons have more individuality than the other human ones do. Pantalaimon does think for himself but to me it seems Kaisa does it much more. They had talked about the Skraeling peoples who meticulously separate daemons by hand, I wondered if Mrs. Coulter might have been part of some initial research endeavors to study the Skraeling methods and she had it done to herself. I think the Skraeling peoples probably have it down to much more of a gentle science than the Bolvangar scientists do and that could be why Mrs. Coulter might be separated but still have more of a connection with her daemon than the nurses do.
The doctors and nurses gaslight Lyra so much but they do not have the “elegance” that Mrs. Coulter does with it. Mrs. Coulter manipulates people with such ease and the doctor and nurses were just kind of clunky with it. When he HELD Pantalaimon I almost threw my book across the room. How DARE they do that! The author definitely did a great job of setting up how horrible it is to do that.
There were so many things in this second part of the book and we would have to talk for days to discuss every detail. So we will leave it here for now. I can’t wait to finish out the book and see what happens!
What did you think of all the new characters we got to meet? How did you feel when we came across Tony Makarios? How unsettling did you find the nurses and doctors at Bolvangar? Do you think Grumman is still alive? Let us know in the comments below!
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