Ferryman | Teen Ink

Ferryman

June 30, 2024
By ruihanwang BRONZE, Beijing, Other
ruihanwang BRONZE, Beijing, Other
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Ferryman, a healing novel trembling the souls of millions of readers, undoubtedly won five World Literature Awards and was popular in over thirty countries. The main characters of the story are a girl named Dylan, who suddenly finds herself standing on a wasteland after encountering a catastrophic train crash, and an extraordinary boy Tristan, mastering transporting souls safely to the afterlife through the wasteland. They endure hardships in the wilderness, ferry to each other, and become each other's redemption.

I really like the quote “I exist because you need me.” from this novel. Love is always an indispensable part of healing novels, expressing the most sincere emotions of humanity, and enabling people to embrace their longing for satisfaction. In the story, Tristan's meticulous love and care for Dylan is the cornerstone of her epic to cross the wilderness safe and sound. Tristan repeatedly uses his body to resist the demon's tearing, buying Dylan time to escape into the safe houses. It is his disregard for life and death that allows Dylan to cross the demon-filled lake. Similarly, love gives Dylan the courage to return to the wasteland again to fight for Tristan’s fate, without the guardian of a ferryman, facing all the devils and quagmires alone. Even though she knows the possibility of being dragged away by the demons and becoming part of them is extremely high, she still embarks on a journey full of unknowns without hesitation. It is exactly her conviction in love that supports her to find hope and return to the real world with Tristan. This novel deeply impressed me that true love can indeed overcome the boundaries of death.

In addition, the theme of mutual redemption has been well interpreted by the author. As a ferryman for countless souls, Tristan takes on the task of guiding Dylan's soul through the wasteland. Along the way, he fulfills his duties diligently, ensuring that Dylan arrives at every safe house, crosses the canyon and lake full of demons, and sends her to the afterlife intact and undamaged. He completed his redemption of Dylan's soul as a ferryman. However, Dylan gradually becomes convinced in the afterlife that what she truly yearns for is a life with Tristan. She chooses to retrace the path of the wilderness to find Tristan. On the way back, the roles of the two seemed to be swapped. Due to his fear of breaking the rules of the wasteland, Tristan grows to be the one at a loss. Dylan, supported by the belief that they can leave the wilderness together, shoulders the responsibility of being his ferryman back to the real world. She patiently comforts Tristan, encourages him to move forward, and tries to return to the real world. If Tristan is Dylan’s ferryman to reach the afterlife, then Dylan is Tristan’s ferryman to return to the real world.


The fast-paced and exciting storyline of Ferryman highlights the multiple-level themes of the novel, blending themes of love, redemption, and the search for meaning in life, inspiring readers to immerse themselves in the inner worlds of the characters. Feeling the collision of emotions in the novel, I gradually ignite sparks deep in my soul. The rich spiritual connotations and themes make Ferryman an excellent soul-healing novel. Through in-depth reading, I have felt the intangible power behind words, gained a new understanding of life and humanity, and a deeper reflection on the values of love and death.



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