Chapter 12:

Finally, Coraline’s real mother wakes her up and asks her what happened to her knee, not remembering anything. Coraline just tells her she fell. Coraline finds the marbles, snowglobe, and key in her pocket. She ties the key to a chain and makes a necklace with it and keeps it with her. She is so excited to see her dad that she eats the gross dinner he made for her. That night she has a nice dream that she in having a picnic with the kids from the other world. It is very pleasant and Coraline states that she is happy everything is over. The kids get quiet and tell her to be careful because the beldam is not finished yet. The kids move on into the afterlife and Coraline wakes up. She investigates a noise that she hears and sees the other mothers right hand. It is walking around on its fingers and is after the key. It runs outside.

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Analysis:

Coraline’s mother has no idea what happened, and Coraline does not bother to tell anyone. She is simply overjoyed to be home. Nothing else matters to her now. She lies about what happened to her leg, blowing it off like it was not a big deal. Later, she also eats her dad’s food that she usually hates. This exhibits her newfound appreciation towards things that he used to not appreciate at all. Coraline’s dream serves the purpose of letting us know that although things may seem okay, there is still danger ahead and that caution is necessary, which is proven to be true soon after.