The Dark is Rising
By: Susan Cooper
The "Dark is Rising" is about a by named Will Stanton who wakes up on the morning of his 11th birthday and he finds out that he is immortal. He also finds out that he is the last of the Old Ones, who are men and women who protect the world from the source of evil, especially the Dark. Will is then set on a quest to find six magical Signs to help the powers of the Light. Those six magical signs, or medallions, are iron, bronze, wood water, fire, and stone-which were created and hidden by the Old Ones centuries ago. The Dark sent a rider, or a hunter, who is clothed in black, mounted on a horse, who is on a hunt for the youngest Old One, Will. Will must find all of the six signs before the Dark can rise.
The Dark is Rising- Protagonist
Will Stanton
Will Stanton is the protagonist of "The Dark is Rising" because he is the main character. He is the boy who wakes up and finds out that he is the last of the Old Ones, who must find six signs in order overcome darkness. "You are the seventh son of a seventh son, Will Stanton. You step through time. One by one, the Signs will call to you. You will gather them and gain the power of the Light. You are the Sign-Seeker." (p. 35) Will is also being chased by the dark rider, who is sent by darkness to stop Will from helping the power of Light. Will is amazed about this whole thing, but still goes on an adventure in search of the six signs.
The Dark is Rising- Antagonist
The Darkness
The power of Darkness, or the Dark, is the antagonist because it is the villain, who tries to stop Will from collecting all six symbols. The Darkness also sent out a rider, the Dark rider, who tries to stall or hunt down Will, the youngest Old One. The Dark rider is also trying to help the forces of Darkness to rise. "He is capable of inducing fear in other beings. He also has the power to manipulate others, to play on their emotions and use them to serve his own purposes, and is prepared to threaten other ordinary characters so as to obtain what he wants. He is also able to wield the weathers of the world to his own purpose, creating cold winds, snowstorms and tornados." (p. 55) The Darkness has the same abilities as the Old Ones, which makes a battle of the forces of Light against the power of Darkness.
Theme of The Dark is Rising
The theme of the "Dark is Rising" would be that Will Stanton, an eleven year old boy who is the last of the Old Ones, is in a search for the six symbols. While a black rider is sent by the Dark is try and stop Will from finding all six and to also help to overcome the power of Light. Basically, Will is in a race with the black rider to find the six symbols before the black rider does and overcomes the power of Light. The book is mainly a wild hunt for the six symbol and a fast-pace chase to get the symbols before the black rider does and strengthens the forces of Darkness. At last, Will finds all six symbols and goes back into his own time.
Conflict- Man vs. Society
The conflict of "The Dark is Rising" would have to be man vs. society. In this case, the man would have to be Will Stanton, the last of the Old Ones. And the society would have to be the Dark. Even though Will races the black rider for the six symbols, the black rider was sent by the dark to try and stop Will. The Dark is controlling the black rider, because the Dark is trying to stop Will and also trying to overcome Light. Of course, Will collects all six symbols before the black rider does. If the black rider collected the symbols before, the Dark would rise and overcome the world.
Perspective of the Author- Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper was born in Burnham, Bukinghamshire, United Kingdom in the year 1935. Her father worked in the reading room at the Natural History Museum. While her mom worked as a teacher for ten-year-olds, who then became the head deputy of a large junior high school. After graduating from the University of Oxford, she became a reporter for the The Sunday Times of London. She spent most of her free time writing. During that time, she began working on The Dark is Rising Series. She also finished her debut novel, a science fiction, The Mandrake. She then migrated to the United States in the year 1963 to marry Nicholas J. Grant, who was a professor of Metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Dark is Rising was then made a motion picture movie in the year 2007. It was then called The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. This film was directed by David L. Cunnigham. It stared actors such as Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Christopher Eccleston, and many more.
Motif
The motif of The Dark is Rising, would have to be when Will finds out that he is the last of the Old Ones, a group of immortals who work for the power of Light and tries to overcome the Darkness. Also when Merriman tells Will that he is being chased by the black rider, who was sent by the Dark. Also when Merriman tells Will about the six symbols and where to find them. Even when the black rider tracks down Will. Also when Will was surprised when he was the last of the Old Ones.
Book Review
The main topic of The Dark is Rising, would have to be that Will must stop the power of the Dark before it overcomes the powers of Light. My opinion would have to be that it is an outstanding book filled with fantasy, adventure, and drama. I would this book, 10 symbols. My suggested age group would be the independent readers, kids in the age range of 11-13 would be the appropriate age group. They should read this book because it is a nice mixture of fantasy and action/adventure. It is a nice book for people who like action and adventure and a little of fantasy.