Story Analysis: A Wish Named Arnold

By: Anthony
Summary: The story is about a young girl named Marguerite and her
brass egg with a small wish it in named Arnold. Marguerite meets Arnold
in a antique store. She finds a brass egg which contains a small wish,
the length of a man’s thumb, and it was made of black clay with the
rough shape of a bird. Marguerite found out that Arnold was a wish when
Arnold spoke to her. Arnold has the ability to grant Marguerite one small
wish. Marguerite ponders for a while and decides her wish is to liberate
Arnold, the small clay bird. Arnold is freed and flies away. A few days
later, a new boy named Arnold moves into town. He seems to be the
reincarnation of the previous Arnold who was trapped in the brass egg.
The story states that the boy Arnold’s hair has the exact same colour as
the previous Arnold’s feathers. Marguerite and Arnold become best
friends almost immediately.

The characters in the story are Marguerite, Arnold the small wish and the
boy version of Arnold. Marguerite is a young girl who displays her
selflessness to Arnold in the story. She overcomes her own desires
and decides that her wish is to set Arnold free. This gives her a “right”
feeling. The story states that Marguerite “sat quietly, staring out the
window and holding the brass egg. A big grin stretched her lips. There
was something so right about that she’d just done…” Arnold appears to
be a small lump of black clay, no larger than a man’s thumb in the rough
shape of a bird. His personality does not seem to have many qualities,
other than the fact that he was very grateful towards Marguerite when
she wished to set him free. The second version of Arnold, or his
reincarnation is a young boy. The story states his hair is the same colour
as the previous Arnold’s feathers.

The genre of the story is fiction. The events that take place in the story
clearly could not happen in real life. Not only that, but the characters of
the story are fictional and are made up to have qualities that aid the
story’s plot. The story also can be labeled as a fantasy genre story.
However, it is not a fantasy genre story. The fantasy genre is of
speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, with lack of locations,
events, or people that reference the real world. Most aspects aside from
the magical small wish Arnold, such as birds, windows, humans, houses,
a neighborhood, antique shops and the fact that the story takes place in
Ontario, Canada clearly reference the real world.
By: Anthony
The story takes place in an antique shop, Marguerite’s bedroom and in a
neighborhood. The story states that Marguerite found Mike Wazowski in
a brass egg in an antique shop, that Marguerite sleeps with the brass
egg under her pillow which obviously points out that she sleeps with it in
her bedroom and that she has a house and parents. Additionally, that
means she lives in a neighborhood. I also have a reason to believe it
takes place in Ontario, Canada because it states so in the story.

Marguerite expresses her selflessness and decides to use her only wish
to set Arnold free. Additionally, setting Arnold free gives Marguerite a
pleasant feeling knowing that she was able to help someone. In short, it
is good to help others and you will feel good for helping them too.

The perspective of the story is in third person, in Marguerite’s point of

view. Throughout the story, the you get to experience how Marguerite
feels and her perspective, however you rarely know what Arnold thinks.
Thus the story takes place in Marguerite point of view in third person.

The writing techniques used in the story “A Wish Named Arnold.” The
story has two writing techniques, imagery and similes. There are one or
two similes used throughout the story, for example how Arnold felt after
he was freed by Marguerite. Imagery is used to describe Arnold’s form,
the small lump of black clay in the rough shape of a bird.

I have experienced both Arnold and Marguerite’s perspective. I too have

helped someone and felt that it was the right thing to do, like Marguerite.
Also, I too have been helped or set free like Arnold and felt exuberant.
My thoughts on the story is that is teaches a message of selflessness
and that helping others in anyway you can, even is a small way can
brighten up their day. My feelings about the characters after the story is
somewhat mixed. I feel happy for Arnold, because he was freed yet I feel
like setting Arnold free was somewhat a waste. Marguerite’s decision to
free Arnold did not benefit her in anyway, yet if she decided use the wish
for her own desire it would not be an act of kindness to Arnold. However,
that is just my own opinion the the matter.

By: Anthony