What is the main point in The Golden Compass His Dark Materials?

Answer 1

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the Scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. When her uncle, Lord Asriel, returns from the North with tales of mystery and danger, it seems to have little to do with her -- even the rumor of the severed child. But his visit sets off a chain of events that draws Lyra into the heart of a terrible struggle -- a struggle that involves scientists performing hideous experiments on children, alliances with gyptians and witch clans, battles with trained mercenaries, and armored bears. And through it all, there dawns in Lyra a sense that her success or failure may mean even more than simply life or death. The first book in a planned trilogy, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass is stunningly original, beautifully crafted, and thrillingly told. It is a masterwork of fantasy and storytelling that heralds the arrival of a classic. Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the Scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar, Pantalaimon, always by her side. When her uncle, Lord Asriel, returns from the North with tales of mystery and danger, it seems to have little to do with her -- even the rumor of the severed child. But his visit sets off a chain of events that draws Lyra into the heart of a terrible struggle -- a struggle that involves scientists performing hideous experiments on children, alliances with gyptians and witch clans, battles with trained mercenaries, and armored bears. And through it all, there dawns in Lyra a sense that her success or failure may mean even more than simply life or death. The first book in a planned trilogy, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass is stunningly original, beautifully crafted, and thrillingly told. It is a masterwork of fantasy and storytelling that heralds the arrival of a classic.

Answer 2

The story begins when Lyra Belacqua- a supposedly orphaned, twelve-year-old girl residing at Jordan College, Oxford-secretly enters and hides in the 'Retiring Room' in the college, despite resistance from her dæmon, Pantalaimon - an animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of her soul. Hidden in a coat closet, Lyra and "Pan" see the Master of the college putting poison into wine intended for the visiting Lord Asriel, Lyra's uncle, in an attempt to assassinate him. Lord Asriel later enters after the Master of the college has left and discovers Lyra hiding there. She bursts out of the closet and immediately warns him that the wine is poisoned. Rather than punishing her for being where she should not, he allows her to stay hidden if she will spy on the other attendees at his upcoming meeting. When the meeting commences, Lord Asriel shows the resident scholars pictures of the Aurora Borealis (the 'Northern Lights' of the title) and the mysterious elementary particles called Dust. Shortly after, Lord Asriel travels to the Arctic North, and Lyra continues her studies at the college. When "the Gobblers," who have become a recent urban legend, kidnap her friend Roger, Lyra vows to rescue him. But instead, an important visitor, a woman named Mrs. Marisa Coulter, offers to take Lyra away from Jordan College to become her apprentice. Lyra assents, but before she leaves, the Master of the college entrusts her with a priceless object (with the condition that she keep it absolutely secret): an alethiometer. Resembling a golden, many-handed pocket-watch, it can answer any question asked by the user. Although initially unable to read or understand its complex symbols, Lyra takes it with her to Mrs. Coulter's flat. Soon after, Lyra becomes suspicious of Mrs. Coulter's motives when her dæmon (a golden monkey named Ozymandias) searches Lyra's room for the alethiometer. At a cocktail party hosted by Mrs. Coulter, Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter heads an organization known as the "General Oblation Board" and that this board is, in fact, the "Gobblers" who have been kidnapping children. Horrified, Lyra flees Mrs. Coulter's flat during the party. While being pursued by the "Gobblers", Lyra is rescued by the Gyptians, nomadic, canal-boat-dwelling people, who afterwards reveal that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are none other than Lyra's father and mother. She also learns that many children like Roger have been disappearing from among the Gyptians, and that the Gyptians are planning an expedition to the north to rescue them. During her time with the Gyptians, Lyra intuitively begins to learn how to operate the alethiometer. Lyra is then taken to an experimentation facility in Bolvangar, where she discovers that the children are being subjected to an experimental process called "intercision." This process severs the tie that binds them to their daemons, effectively removing their soul. Inside, she locates Roger and devises an escape plan. She is caught spying and narrowly escapes suffering the intercision process herself; she is rescued, unfortunately, by Mrs. Coulter, who tries to take the alethiometer. Narrowly escaping her clutches once again, Lyra leads the other children from the facility and is rescued by Lee Scoresby in his hydrogen balloon. With them are Roger and a sentient, armoured bear called Iorek Byrnison. Iorek is an exiled bear prince who is a perfect example of his culture. Having found Roger, Lyra now determines to deliver the alethiometer to Lord Asriel, believing that he needs it for his purposes. He is imprisoned at Svalbard, the armoured bears' fortress, because the church opposes his experiments on Dust. As they travel to Svalbard, bat-like cliff-ghasts attack the balloon; Lyra is thrown out but lands safely, only to be captured by the armoured bears. She tricks the usurping bear-king, Iofur Raknison, into fighting Iorek Byrnison, who regains his throne. Thereafter, she travels to Lord Asriel's cabin, accompanied by Iorek and Roger. Despite being imprisoned, Lord Asriel has become so influential that he has accumulated the necessary equipment to continue his experiments on Dust. After explaining to Lyra the nature of Dust, an emanation from another world, and the existence of parallel universes, he departs, taking Roger and much scientific equipment. Lyra pursues them, having discovered that she has indeed brought her father what he wanted, though not in the way she thought. It was not the alethiometer he needed, but Roger: the severing of the empathic tie between a child and his/her daemon releases an enormous amount of energy, which Lord Asriel needs to complete his task. Roger dies when Lord Asriel separates him from his dæmon, and with the enormous energy released -- combined with his specialized equipment -- Lord Asriel is able to tear a hole through the sky into a parallel world. Lord Asriel walks through into the new world. On Pantalaimon's advice, Lyra follows. This concludes the first novel, with the trilogy continuing in the next book, The Subtle Knife.

Answer 3

The first novel in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy was entitled "Northern Lights" in the UK and elsewhere, but "The Golden Compass" in the US.

"The Golden Compassas" was one of the pre-publication titles for the novel series. The title "The Golden Compasses" comes from a line in Paradise Lost (Milton).

In the US, the publishers had been calling the first book "The Golden Compass", which they thought referred to Lyra's aleitheometer. However, in the UK, Pullman had decided to use the title "His Dark Materials" (also from Paradise Lost).

Pullman has said that the UK publishers grew attached to "The Golden Compass" and decided to name it that when they published it.

Answer 4

The Golden Compass, and the entirety of His Dark Materials trilogy, is a work that questions modern religion, the role and authority of god, and whether or not man are meant to be controlled by a greater power. It focuses heavily on the role of institutionalized religion, shown through the Magisterium, and the struggle between religion and science. It also explores the fear of sin within the Magisterium.

Answer 5

The main point in "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman is the theme of free will and the importance of questioning authority. The story follows Lyra, a young girl who embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about the mysterious substance called Dust and challenge the oppressive forces that seek to control it. Through Lyra's adventures, the book explores complex themes such as morality, destiny, and the power of individual choice.

Answer 6

Lyra