The Moon as a Directional Marker

Harold and the Purple Crayon

The Moon changes from a requested feature of the night into the reference point that lets Harold locate the bedroom window.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Moon for Walking The Moon for Walking from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". Moonlight as an Initial Need A condition for the outing Harold wants to walk in moonlight, but there is no Moon.

The Moon for Walking from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". Moonlight as an Initial Need A condition for the outing Harold wants to walk in moonlight, but there is no Moon.

Moonlight as an Initial Need A condition for the outing Harold wants to walk in moonlight, but there is no Moon. He requires it for the atmosphere and conditions of the walk he has imagined. The Moon is created Harold draws a Moon and takes it into the journey as part of the scene. At this stage, its function is to make the outing possible, not yet to guide him home.

The Moon in Motion The Moon in Motion from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". A Landmark That Follows Presence on the route The Moon goes with Harold when he leaves the straight path and crosses a field.

The Moon in Motion from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". A Landmark That Follows Presence on the route The Moon goes with Harold when he leaves the straight path and crosses a field.

A Landmark That Follows Presence on the route The Moon goes with Harold when he leaves the straight path and crosses a field. Its mobility keeps it connected to his journey rather than to a distant, fixed sky. Meaning not yet understood Although the Moon remains present, Harold continues through unfamiliar scenes and loses his bearings. Its later directional significance has not yet become available to him.

The Window's Position The Window's Position from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". Direction Through Relation A remembered location Harold remembers that his bedroom window is always right around the Moon.

The Window's Position from "Harold and the Purple Crayon". Direction Through Relation A remembered location Harold remembers that his bedroom window is always right around the Moon.

Direction Through Relation A remembered location Harold remembers that his bedroom window is always right around the Moon. The clue is not simply the Moon's presence but the spatial relation he knows between it and his bedroom. The walk can end With that relation restored, Harold makes a bed and gets under the covers. The Moon completes its progression from atmospheric necessity to a meaningful instrument of orientation.

Before the first steps of the walk

Early in the journey, while Harold takes a shortcut

Near the conclusion, after Harold's long search