Reader Series: 'The Hostile Hospital,' Lemony Snicket
This is the eighth post in a series leading up to the premiere of Netflix's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' on January 13, 2017. The series will cover each of the 13 books and 'Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography.' Be warned: there are spoilers ahead.
On their first misadventure entirely on their own, the Baudelaires travel to the Heimlich Hospital, home of a Library of Records that might hold clues about VFD and the Baudelaires themselves. Unfortunately, Olaf and Esme know all about the records and are intent on destroying any incriminating them. When Violet is captured, Klaus and Sunny use anagrams and amateur disguises to help her escape from a deadly craniectomy. Although they escape the hospital, they aren't yet much closer to discovering the truth.
The dynamics of the Baudelaire story have clearly changed at the start of this eighth installment. Instead of Olaf fiendishly following the Baudelaires, the Baudelaires have struck out on their own; their story will still overlap that of Olaf, but not in such a straightforward manner. We also have the third element of the Quagmires, the Baudelaires' friends who escaped on Hector's self-propelling hot air balloon in The Vile Village. At this point, the siblings are less interested in finding normal lives in a happy home and more interested in finding the answers to many mysterious questions.
Again, we and the Baudelaires exercise our minds with clues and codes. In this case, the type of code is an anagram, or a word that when rearranged becomes a different word thereby hiding the original, more important word. The clues are hidden in the Library of Records, though some are missing, and Olaf & Esme are all too aware of certain records. And the Baudelaires are still considered fugitives. When Esme's fire threatens the rest of the hospital, the Baudelaires are easy to blame.
The siblings are getting closer to VFD, the Snickets, and the truth about the fire. They are also entering a more grey area of morality, as they find the good adults in their lives highly undependable and begin utilizing some skills that Olaf himself has used. For example, this is the first time the siblings use disguises, trick their way into the records room, and willingly get in Count Olaf's car. The familiar outline of the previous books has collapsed and the Baudelaires find themselves in dubious territory. But they need answers.
On their first misadventure entirely on their own, the Baudelaires travel to the Heimlich Hospital, home of a Library of Records that might hold clues about VFD and the Baudelaires themselves. Unfortunately, Olaf and Esme know all about the records and are intent on destroying any incriminating them. When Violet is captured, Klaus and Sunny use anagrams and amateur disguises to help her escape from a deadly craniectomy. Although they escape the hospital, they aren't yet much closer to discovering the truth.
The dynamics of the Baudelaire story have clearly changed at the start of this eighth installment. Instead of Olaf fiendishly following the Baudelaires, the Baudelaires have struck out on their own; their story will still overlap that of Olaf, but not in such a straightforward manner. We also have the third element of the Quagmires, the Baudelaires' friends who escaped on Hector's self-propelling hot air balloon in The Vile Village. At this point, the siblings are less interested in finding normal lives in a happy home and more interested in finding the answers to many mysterious questions.
Again, we and the Baudelaires exercise our minds with clues and codes. In this case, the type of code is an anagram, or a word that when rearranged becomes a different word thereby hiding the original, more important word. The clues are hidden in the Library of Records, though some are missing, and Olaf & Esme are all too aware of certain records. And the Baudelaires are still considered fugitives. When Esme's fire threatens the rest of the hospital, the Baudelaires are easy to blame.
"It doesn't take courage to kill someone," Klaus said. "It takes a severe lack of moral stamina."
There are many things in this world I do not know. I do not know how butterflies get out of their cocoons without damaging their wings. I do not know why anyone would boil vegetables when roasting them is tastier. I do not know how to make olive oil, and I do not know why dogs bark before an earthquake, and I do not know why some people voluntarily choose to climb mountains where it is freezing and difficult to breathe, or live in the suburbs, where the coffee is watery and all the houses look alike.
They could only stare at Esme's shoes and wonder why she was wearing footwear that was so violent and impractical.
"Was it really necessary? Was it absolutely necessary to steal that sugar bowl from Esme Squalor?"
The siblings are getting closer to VFD, the Snickets, and the truth about the fire. They are also entering a more grey area of morality, as they find the good adults in their lives highly undependable and begin utilizing some skills that Olaf himself has used. For example, this is the first time the siblings use disguises, trick their way into the records room, and willingly get in Count Olaf's car. The familiar outline of the previous books has collapsed and the Baudelaires find themselves in dubious territory. But they need answers.
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