The Neverending Story

The character of Atreyu, with his designation as a member of the Greenskins and as a hunter of purple buffalo, speaks to the appeal of using Indigenous American stereotypes in young adult literature. Is Michael Ende participating in cultural appropriation, or is the depiction of Atreyu more complex? Use at least three examples from the text to support your opinion.

As The Neverending Story traces the identity formation of Bastian, can the novel be read as a Bildungsroman, a story that focuses on the psychological and spiritual growth of its young protagonist? What elements of the story might complicate such a straightforward reading?

Throughout the novel, Bastian is characterized as an imaginative boy with an uncanny ability to craft stories, for this talent is with him even before he enters Fantastica. With this idea in mind, how do you read Coreander’s final words: “Bastian Balthazar Bux…if I’m not mistaken, you will show many others the way to Fantastica, and they will bring us the Water of Life” (377)?