The Journey from Night to Sleep
Harold and the Purple CrayonA walk begun as an evening adventure gradually gives way to fatigue, the wish for bed, and a quiet return to rest.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
An Evening Out

A Nighttime Plan
The appeal of the walk
Harold decides to go walking in the moonlight. The outing begins as a chosen pleasure, and its direction remains open because he has not yet decided what he will encounter.
Making night possible
With no Moon in the sky, Harold creates one and provides a path. The first act of the adventure is therefore also an effort to make the night suit the walk he wants.
The Growing Wish for Bed

Weariness Enters the Adventure
A bodily limit
Harold is tired and feels that he ought to be getting to bed. The thought changes the journey's purpose: he is no longer only wandering, but looking for a way back to his room.
Hope at the summit
He climbs in hopes of seeing his bedroom window from the mountain. The high vantage promises an answer, but the summit instead becomes the setting for a dangerous fall.
Rest at Last

The Walk Ends in Sleep
Home made by recognition
Harold remembers where his bedroom window is in relation to the Moon and draws a bed. The destination that eluded his large-scale search becomes reachable through a small remembered clue.
A quiet conclusion
He gets into bed and draws up the covers; the crayon drops to the floor as he falls asleep. The final change is from active making to surrendering to rest.
At the opening, after Harold decides to walk
After the mountain climb, as Harold hopes to see his window
At the ending, after Harold remembers the window