Every Heart A Doorway

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, bullying, transgender discrimination, and emotional abuse.

The novella’s characters are driven by their search for belonging. For most of them, their main concern throughout the story is their desperate wish to return to their portal worlds. This search for belonging serves as the driving motivation for both the protagonist and the antagonist. However, while Nancy says that she would “do anything to go home” (69), she treats others with compassion. In contrast, Jill tries to excuse her crimes by saying, “I just want to go home. Surely you can appreciate that” (162). While Jill’s attempt to justify the killings demonstrates her selfishness, it also conveys the pain that all the students feel at being separated from the only places where they ever experienced full acceptance and belonging. Understanding the significance of the students’ portal worlds adds to the satisfaction of the happy ending in which Nancy returns to the Halls of the Dead. The search for belonging shapes the novel’s fantastical premise, characters, and structure.

In addition to their overarching goal of returning to their portal worlds, the characters search for belonging within Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children.