Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Abraham is the most important character, despite being the least present character in the novel. His passing in chapter 1 drives the story’s plot, pushing it forward by creating chaos for Jacob. Without Abraham’s discussion of the children’s house, Miss Peregrine, and the photographs, Jacob would not have had the same journey. He would have been affected by the sight of the tentacle-mouthed monster in a more extreme way (instead of questioning if the stories were true or not, he would have felt entirely mad). Had Abraham not left the safety of the loop, Jacob would not have been born, and thus, the story at present would not occur. Abraham represents both a motivation for Jacob and a driving force behind the plot.

Franklin is more than just the person who accompanies Jacob to Cairnholm. He represents the opposite reaction to Abraham’s stories—someone who used to be interested but then feared what he might find because of the suspicions surrounding Abraham. Franklin’s fear, rather than courage, is the contrast to Abraham’s courage and represents the choice Jacob must make to follow the story without fear or to run from the story with a lack of courage. Jacob’s struggle between these two extremes pervades the entire story and marks the importance of Franklin’s presence on the island and on the journey Jacob is taking.

Dr. Golan’s role in the novel is complex. At first, he is a supporter, someone who is willing to vouch for Jacob and help him along the journey he must go on in order to understand his grandfather. Later, Dr. Golan’s importance is of a different sort: he becomes the physical antagonist accosting Jacob and his progress. Dr. Golan is what Jacob’s new friends fear the most, a wight. It is further revealed that Dr. Golan, in another form, spied on his grandfather and brought Malthus forward to kill him. In many ways, Dr. Golan is as important as Abraham for providing the underpinnings for the story, the reasons for Jacob to continue on as he does.

Miss Peregrine represents knowledge in many respects. Not only can she bend time to create the loop that keeps her and the peculiar children safe, but she is also a haven of information for Jacob, who needs knowledge to grow from innocence to strength. She understands his fragility at the beginning and hides the truth about his power from him, which not only allows the story to continue, but keeps Jacob ignorant and innocent for longer than he would otherwise have been. Miss Peregrine represents a plug, someone that keeps the character development at a specific place until the information she knows is revealed, which releases a flood of emotion and action.