75 pages • 2 hours read
Neil Gaiman, Terry PratchettGood Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
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The Importance of Physical Books
Books hold a prominent place in the narrative. The entire labyrinthine plot of Good Omens is foretold by the 17th-century witch, Agnes Nutter’s book of prophecies. This book is passed down through her family’s generations, eventually coming into the possession of Anathema Device. Anathema’s life’s work—some might say obsession—is interpreting the often-vague prophecies and using the information to stop Armageddon.
In addition to Nutter’s book, Aziraphale owns a bookshop in which he stores rare and specialty collections.
Good Omens was published in 1990, right at the cusp of the digital revolution. The authors make a distinction between the digital world and the print world, evincing a nostalgic admiration for the latter. Pratchett and Gaiman view computers with skepticism. Newton, a self-described computer engineer, short-circuits everything he touches, and global electronic devices are susceptible to the ethereal hack of demonic forces. Notably, when Aziraphale’s bookshop burns down, Agnes Nutter’s book is miraculously spared. There is something sturdy and timeless, the authors imply, about a book.
Crowley’s Bentley
Crowley lives life in the fast lane, and nothing symbolizes his posh and flashy lifestyle more than his vintage Bentley. It’s rare, stylish, and allows him to flaunt both the laws of London traffic and of physics, racing through London’s tortuous roadways at improbable speeds, veering onto sidewalks, and narrowly avoiding pedestrians.
Cars have long been a symbol of freedom and independence, youthful exuberance, and even recklessness. Youth aside, these are all qualities Crowley embraces, in stark contrast to Aziraphale, whose knuckles turn white every time he rides with Crowley.
The Bentley further represents the distinction Crowley frequently makes between Heaven and Hell: Heaven may be proper and abide by the rules, but Hell has a wild side, a thrilling adrenaline rush that even Aziraphale reluctantly enjoys every so often.
Dog
If Good Omens seems a bit ambiguous about the nature of evil, that ambiguity is personified in the character of Adam Young and Dog, his pet hellhound. Dog perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy that exists within the young Antichrist. Adam could have chosen any manner of dog, and his nature would dictate that he opts for something big, dark, and terrifying. Instead, he wishes for a smart, little dog, capable of rooting rabbits out of their holes. Instantly, his wish transforms the vicious beast into something far less threatening. While Dog always retains his demonic, inner nature, it is trapped in the body of man’s best friend.
When Adam begins to descend into power-hungry madness, the transformation is frightening even for Dog, who buries his head beneath his paws. As Adam realizes his craving for world domination may well cost him his friends, he exorcises his own demons and becomes “more of Adam Young than had ever been there before” (312). With that sudden, radical change, Dog becomes the friendly mongrel once again. Adam and Dog are bound by more than Hell’s directive; they are connected through a loyalty and love that sees them through Adam’s metaphorical trial by fire.
The Sword, the Scales, and the Crown
As the four Horsepersons enter the narrative, a delivery man brings each of them a distinct item: a sword for War, a set of scales for Famine, and a crown for Pollution. Each item carries a significance related to its possessor. The sword is a weapon utilized in war, and with it, Scarlett sows murder and mayhem wherever she goes. Scales represent balance, and Famine seeks to tip the world toward starvation with his overpriced and non-nutritious food products. Pollution receives a crown, a symbol of royalty and dominion, suggesting that his legacy—toxic waste, unbreathable air, sludgy rivers—will dominate the Earth as it approaches Armageddon. Death receives no token, perhaps because it is set apart from the other three and is simply, malevolently, itself.
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