Analysis of “The Companion”
...pursue her. The boy’s determination is illustrated by his motivation to find the woman of his dreams and improve his life at any cost. Since, the princess represents success and happiness to the boy, winning her heart will be an end to his deprivation. As the boy leaves home on his quest to find her, he is unaware of the mental and physical challenges that await him on his journey. The first moral dilemma that awaits him involves the congregation of the church. As the boy passes, he sees the church members spitting on a block of ice with a body of an “evil-doer” inside. The boy doesn’t follow the crowd and spit on the body or just ignore the situation. Instead his conscience spurs him to question the situation and attempt to make it right. He benevolently takes action and offers to pay for a Christian burial for the man to enable him to rest in peace. Again, the boy sacrifices what little money he has in order to help another. The boy is not trying to impress anyone by taking action, his motives are sincere. The boy personifies the typical principles of a church and in contrast to this congregation he appears especially kind hearted. The church is portrayed as unforgiving and hypocritical by publicly degrading a “sinner” and denying him a peaceful rest. It is a paradox that the congregation is practicing these cruel rituals when they profess acting merciful and understanding of mistakes As a direct result of his generous actions at the church the boys is rewarded with a magic helper, The Companion, to lead him on his journey. The Companion helps the boy fight off three evil troll-hags and brings him closer to his goal, finding the castle of the beautiful princess. The princess serves as a symbol of both good and evil in the story. Clearly, she is the protagonist’s reward for passing the tests but secretly she is his opponent, sett...