43 pages • 1 hour read

The Stonekeeper

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2008

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Page 34

Pages 35-77

Pages 78-113

Pages 114-157

Pages 158-187

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Amulet

The amulet symbolizes great power and the positives and negatives that come with this. For Emily, the power it provides means that she can protect her loved ones and rescue her mom. It allows her to control beams of energy that make her formidable in combat. The knowledge she gains from talking to it keeps her and Navin safe on numerous occasions, like when it alerts her to the danger Navin is in or when it tells her that they can use the large mushrooms as parachutes to escape the arachnopod. In this way, the amulet also represents control, which is something Emily has yearned for ever since she helplessly watched her dad fall to his death. The power it provides grants her agency, and because of this, she finally has the ability to act upon and change the world around her rather than being subject to forces that are out of her control.

However, this kind of power also demands that it be wielded cautiously and responsibly because of its potential to cause great harm. While the sole reason that Emily accepts the amulet in the first place is because she can’t see any other way to rescue her mom, it nevertheless presents some tension throughout the novel. The amulet’s power is completely unknown, and she doesn’t know what she is getting into. By giving the amulet sentience and suggesting that it has an agenda of its own, the novel explores the corrupting allure of power. Despite Emily’s noble intentions, the amulet frequently tries to persuade Emily to do things that do not align with her values or desires—most notably, at the end of the novel, it encourages her to kill Trellis. This tension is also evident in Emily’s conversation with Silas about the amulet. Silas, who has had the amulet—and potentially has been under its spell—for most of his life, speaks about its incredible power. He alludes to the idea that, with the amulet, Emily could control time and become the ruler of Alledia. However, at that point in time, Emily is only interested in saving her mom. The sinister red glow her eyes take on anytime she speaks to the amulet suggests that despite her current intentions, she is not immune to the dangers of corruption.

The Charnon House

The Charnon House exists in two forms—one in the real world and the other in Alledia—and it symbolizes two different ideas. First, it symbolizes family, belonging, and safety. The reason the Hayes family travels to the house in the first place is because they can’t afford to live in the city anymore, and the house presents the opportunity for a fresh start. In Alledia, the Charnon House is the first moment of respite that Emily and Navin experience in a very hostile environment. It provides them with safety from the enemies chasing them, and at the end of the novel, it is where they bring Karen to convalesce after they rescue her from the arachnopod. The house is also where they meet and bond with the robots that become their extended family while in Alledia. The robots—such as Miskit, Morrie, and Cogsley—not only help Emily and Navin by teaching them about Alledia but also support them in their mission to save their mom. At the end of the novel, the house literally transforms into a giant mechanical robot capable of transporting around, further underscoring that it is a place of safety for them in the dangerous and unknown world of Alledia.

The Charnon House is also Emily’s link to Alledia. It serves as a literal link since she passes through a door in the basement that leads her there; figuratively, the house represents her family legacy and her connection to Silas and the amulet. While she initially dislikes the house and the idea of being forced to live there, it soon provides her with the meaning and significance she has been yearning for. When Emily discovers Silas’s library, it is clear in the conversation she has with her mom that she sees herself as an outsider like Silas. Emily sees little value in a “normal” life and looks up to Silas’s eccentricity. By putting her in touch with her family legacy and connecting her to the amulet and Alledia, the house legitimizes her feeling that she is different and special. There is even a sense of fate or destiny in the way Emily discovers the amulet and the conversation she has with Silas. While The Stonekeeper only hints at her larger role in Alledia and the ongoing feud between the Elf King and those who resist him, the rest of the series explores this extensively, and the Charnon House is a monument to that destiny.

Letting Go

Letting go—or the necessity of recognizing when to let go—is a motif that occurs throughout The Stonekeeper. There are three major instances when characters are forced to let go of someone they care about deeply. The first occurs in the Prologue, and its positioning underscores its importance for the rest of the novel. The tragic death of Emily’s dad and the way that it happens is a formative moment for her. She watches helplessly as her mom is forced to let go of her dad in order to take care of her and Navin. While Karen really had no choice in the matter (she would have fallen to her death with David if she had not let go), the moment is still presented as a tough decision because letting go means accepting that she will have to deal with David’s death—both the grief of losing her husband and the added responsibility of caring for their children alone. The second occurrence is when Miskit has to let go of Silas, who is on his death bed. Like Karen, he has no choice here, and Silas is going to die whether Miskit likes it or not, so his letting go is more figurative than literal. It is about accepting a new reality in which Silas is gone and more responsibility now lies in his hands; while he initially feels unprepared, he adjusts with the support of his friends.

The last instance of letting go comes toward the end of the novel when Emily is torn between trying to pull her mom out of the arachnopod or going back to save Navin, who is under attack. The framing of the scene mirrors her dad’s death in the Prologue, and it is evident that the trauma of that memory is making it difficult for Emily to let go of Karen. However, unlike the previous examples, Emily does have agency here, and the decision she makes will drastically impact how things play out. In the end, Emily has grown enough to recognize the responsibility she has to Navin, much like her mom at the start of the novel. She knows that even if she does let go, she has the power to save her mom later. It is an important milestone in her coming-of-age arc that demonstrates that she is capable of making decisions that aren’t ruled by her past trauma.