Will Parry
Encyclopedia
Will Parry is one of the protagonists in Philip Pullman
's trilogy His Dark Materials
, along with Lyra Belacqua
. He is first introduced into the series in the second novel, The Subtle Knife
, and also appears in the final part of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass
. He does not appear in the first novel Northern Lights
(called The Golden Compass in North America
).
eyebrow
s, dark hair
, a strong, jutting jaw
, a muscular build (for his age) and often a passionate
ferocity in his eyes into which most characters in the trilogy avoid looking directly. Although he is supposed to have dark hair, he can be seen on the cover of the US edition with fair, brown hair, and in the Spanish edition with reddish hair. Often during the course of the books Will is compared to Lord Asriel in looks and personality.
. He decides that he must leave her with his former piano teacher, Mrs. Cooper, and himself flees, accidentally killing one of the agents as he makes his escape. He accidentally finds a passageway to the city of Cittàgazze in another world, in which he meets and befriends Lyra Belacqua
, the other protagonist
of the story. They ultimately fall in love at the end when he kisses Lyra after she puts a fruit to his lips. Their love is an allusion to the Fall
. Will also plays a pivotal role in the war that Lord Asriel
and the angels wage against The Authority, playing the role of Adam.
When he becomes the bearer of The Subtle Knife
he loses both the smallest and ring finger
s of his left hand
. The knife is the weapon Will uses to cut his way through to different worlds.
After being separated from Will during the journey to the world of the dead, his soul
becomes visible as a dæmon
. Prior to reuniting with Will, she is named Kirjava (Finnish
for "multi-coloured") by Serafina Pekkala. Serafina Pekkala notes that Kirjava has the same ferocity in her eyes as Will. At the end of the trilogy, Kirjava settles in the shape of a large, blue-black coloured feline
.
Kirjava and Pantalaimon (Lyra Belacqua's dæmon) leave Lyra and Will as punishment for leaving them on the murky shore in the land of the dead. After the two children rescue the dæmons from the clutches of the spectres (soul-sucking monsters, that we later find out are formed every time the subtle knife is used to open another world). Pantalaimon and Kirjava (who was not yet named) run away from Will and Lyra. When the dæmons return the children learn they have a secret, that they do not want to tell them until they're ready.
released in the UK, the post-script 'Lantern Slides' section reveals that Will becomes a medical student and eventually a doctor in his world. His time bearing the Subtle Knife has given him a grace to diagnose problems with patients (echoing Lyra's original ability with the alethiometer), though he tries to hide it early in his studies as others would believe it preternatural
.
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
's trilogy His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife , and The Amber Spyglass...
, along with Lyra Belacqua
Lyra Belacqua
Lyra Belacqua , also known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the heroine of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own...
. He is first introduced into the series in the second novel, The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife, the second novel in the book His Dark Materials series, was written by English novelist Philip Pullman and published in 1997. The novel continues the adventures of Lyra Belacqua as she investigates the mysterious Dust phenomenon and searches for her father...
, and also appears in the final part of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass
The Amber Spyglass
The Amber Spyglass is the third and final novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by English author Philip Pullman, and published in 2000....
. He does not appear in the first novel Northern Lights
Northern Lights (novel)
Northern Lights, known as The Golden Compass in North America, is the first novel in English novelist Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy...
(called The Golden Compass in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
).
Physical description
Will has been described as having straight blackBlack
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
eyebrow
Eyebrow
The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. Their main function is to prevent sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, but they are also important to human communication and...
s, dark hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, a strong, jutting jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
, a muscular build (for his age) and often a passionate
Passion (emotion)
Passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something....
ferocity in his eyes into which most characters in the trilogy avoid looking directly. Although he is supposed to have dark hair, he can be seen on the cover of the US edition with fair, brown hair, and in the Spanish edition with reddish hair. Often during the course of the books Will is compared to Lord Asriel in looks and personality.
History
Will Parry is only son of John Parry, an explorer, and of Elaine Parry, a woman who suffers from apparent mental problems including obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoia, and whom he has taken care of since early age due to her ailment. Will fails to remember his father, a former Royal Marine, who has not been heard of since he vanished on an expedition to the Arctic, and who we later learn has wandered into another world and is unable to find his way back.In His Dark Materials
Will must take care of his mother, due to her ailment, until they are accosted by several agents of an unknown interest, later implied to be from the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. He decides that he must leave her with his former piano teacher, Mrs. Cooper, and himself flees, accidentally killing one of the agents as he makes his escape. He accidentally finds a passageway to the city of Cittàgazze in another world, in which he meets and befriends Lyra Belacqua
Lyra Belacqua
Lyra Belacqua , also known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the heroine of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own...
, the other protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the story. They ultimately fall in love at the end when he kisses Lyra after she puts a fruit to his lips. Their love is an allusion to the Fall
The Fall of Man
In Christian doctrine, the Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience to God. In Genesis chapter 2, Adam and Eve live at first with God in a paradise, but the serpent tempts them into...
. Will also plays a pivotal role in the war that Lord Asriel
Lord Asriel
Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series and one of the main protagonists of Northern Lights.Asriel is a member of the English aristocracy in a parallel universe dominated by the Church...
and the angels wage against The Authority, playing the role of Adam.
When he becomes the bearer of The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife, the second novel in the book His Dark Materials series, was written by English novelist Philip Pullman and published in 1997. The novel continues the adventures of Lyra Belacqua as she investigates the mysterious Dust phenomenon and searches for her father...
he loses both the smallest and ring finger
Finger
A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....
s of his left hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
. The knife is the weapon Will uses to cut his way through to different worlds.
After being separated from Will during the journey to the world of the dead, his soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
becomes visible as a dæmon
Dæmon (His Dark Materials)
A dæmon is a manifestation of a person's soul in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. Humans in every universe are said to have dæmons, although in some universes they are visible as entities physically separate from their humans, and take the form of animals, while in other universes...
. Prior to reuniting with Will, she is named Kirjava (Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
for "multi-coloured") by Serafina Pekkala. Serafina Pekkala notes that Kirjava has the same ferocity in her eyes as Will. At the end of the trilogy, Kirjava settles in the shape of a large, blue-black coloured feline
Felinae
Felinae is a subfamily of the family Felidae which includes the genera and species listed below. Most are small to medium-sized cats, although the group does include some larger animals, such as the Cougar and Cheetah....
.
Kirjava and Pantalaimon (Lyra Belacqua's dæmon) leave Lyra and Will as punishment for leaving them on the murky shore in the land of the dead. After the two children rescue the dæmons from the clutches of the spectres (soul-sucking monsters, that we later find out are formed every time the subtle knife is used to open another world). Pantalaimon and Kirjava (who was not yet named) run away from Will and Lyra. When the dæmons return the children learn they have a secret, that they do not want to tell them until they're ready.
After the books
In the most recent edition of The Amber SpyglassThe Amber Spyglass
The Amber Spyglass is the third and final novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by English author Philip Pullman, and published in 2000....
released in the UK, the post-script 'Lantern Slides' section reveals that Will becomes a medical student and eventually a doctor in his world. His time bearing the Subtle Knife has given him a grace to diagnose problems with patients (echoing Lyra's original ability with the alethiometer), though he tries to hide it early in his studies as others would believe it preternatural
Preternatural
The preternatural or praeternatural is that which appears outside or beyond the natural. In contrast to the supernatural, preternatural phenomena are presumed to have rational explanations that are, as of yet, unknown....
.