Mister Monday and Keys to the Kingdom Essay -- Garth Nix

Mister Monday and the keys to the Kingdom Mister Monday the first book in the series Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, is a story about an asthmatic boy named Arthur Penhaligon, who is forced into an adventure of mystery, turmoil, and understanding. This all begins on a Monday, his first day at a new school. This is the day Arthur is visited by a strange man who goes by the name Mister Monday, and is handed a key that resembles the minute hand to an old fashioned clock and a strange book leaving him with the knowledge that he is supposed to die that day. When something happens between Monday and his butler Sneezer, Monday grabs Sneezer and they disappear leaving Arthur to think it was a hallucination from the asthma attack. Only to Arthurs dismay as when he awakes in the hospital the key and the book are with him. The book contains many examples of religious symbolism and references, particularly in Judeo-Christian traditions. The prime example is the affliction of each Morrow Day with one of the seven deadly sins that resu lts from their choice not to obey the Will. †¢ Mister Monday: Sloth †¢ Grim Tuesday: Greed †¢ Drowned Wednesday: Gluttony †¢ Sir Thursday: Wrath †¢ Lady Friday: Lust †¢ Superior Saturday: Envy †¢ Lord Sunday: Pride Also, each part of The Will embodied appears to hold a virtue. Each piece of the Will holds one of the four Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice) or the Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity). Each part of the will also seems to act in a way of the seven deadly sins, differently from that which their forms imply. The bear for instance seems to act slothful, and the carp seems to embody pride, whilst the snake seems wrathful. This may simply be a side-effec... ...corporates a main religious symbol and other symbolic terms into the book as a whole idea and base for his story. There was a lot to like about the book and very little to dislike for me, as the main character reminded me of myself, and I enjoyed how everything ties together in the book. I enjoyed the plot and setting of the book and liked how there were clues through out the book on how things would happen, some more evident then others. The only thing I didn’t like about the book were thee items used in that fashion within the house. Although the author described everything very well in the book there were some things he left out or assumed the reader already knew. To me I didn’t get some of the items use but for a more educated people it could have been easy. Overall I had a great time reading the book and think others should read it to, in my opinion of course.