Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

by

Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
On the ferry, Jacob and his dad peer through the fog at Cairnholm. It’s cold and wet even though it’s June, and they’ve spent 36 hours traveling already. The island appears bleak and is guarded by a massive flock of birds, which thrills Jacob’s dad. Jacob, on the other hand, notices the many shipwrecks beneath them. One of the crewmen points to a passing wreck and says that it was sunk by a German U-Boat during World War II. He reckons that the U-Boats sank half the British navy.
The German U-Boats (submarines used during World War I and II) are a reminder of the past persecution that Jacob’s grandfather faced from the Nazi regime, and how he found protection and belonging on the island as the British navy tried to fight off the submarines. This passage also paints a bleak picture of the island, setting an ominous tone for what Jacob will face there.
Themes
Magic, Belonging, and Protection Theme Icon
Soon after, the ferry docks, and Jacob and his dad journey into the little town, which isn’t as picturesque as it looked from afar. Diesel generators power the island, and the whole place looks a bit dilapidated and abandoned. Jacob and his dad try to find their bed and breakfast—a humble place called the Priest Home—but everyone they ask seems confused. They walk into a little museum to ask directions, and the curator there directs them to a place called the Priest Hole
Jacob and his dad’s trip seems to rest on very uncertain footing, making it seem unlikely that Jacob will discover the answers he’s seeking on Cairnholm. But their perseverance shows Jacob’s determination to solve the mystery of his grandfather’s life, as well as Jacob’s dad’s care for his son despite their occasional strain.
Themes
Family Theme Icon
Jacob’s dad then asks the curator about the old children’s home, but the man doesn’t quite know what they’re talking about. He says he might know the place they mean: it’s on the other side of the island, past the bog and through the woods. He warns them not to go alone, because if they stray from the path, they could easily go over a cliff. Jacob’s dad makes Jacob promise not to go there alone, and Jacob does, reluctantly.
Again, Jacob feels limited by his dad. He wants to be able to explore the island, just as he always wanted to explore new worlds as a child. But now that he finally has the chance, he’s still being held back by his father, preventing him from truly growing up and finding agency.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Jacob and his dad then find the Priest Hole, which looks more like a pub. Inside, the bartender introduces himself as Kev and leads them up to their rooms. He gives them oil lamps for when the generators stop running at 10 p.m. Kev also tells Jacob and his dad  that if they need to make a phone call, they have the only landline on the island. Jacob realizes that this is the phone line he got through to before he left. Curious, Jacob asks Kev what a priest hole is. Kev explains that when being Catholic was punishable by death, the place provided shelter for priests. He gestures to a door in the floor, which leads to a crawl space where the priests hid.
This passage expands on the idea that differences can make people vulnerable to persecution, as Catholic priests were persecuted by Protestant rulers in England in the 16th century. But the Priest Hole also illustrates the value of community in providing a place of belonging and protection for those with such differences—anticipating something Jacob will discover elsewhere on the island.
Themes
Magic, Belonging, and Protection Theme Icon
Get the entire Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children LitChart as a printable PDF.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children PDF
That night, Jacob and his dad attempt to go to bed early, but the noise downstairs prevents them until the generators go out at 10 p.m. Suddenly plunged into silence and darkness, Jacob falls into a deep, peaceful slumber, dreaming not of the monsters but instead about his grandfather as a boy, finding refuge at Cairnholm. Jacob realizes that this place didn’t just save his grandfather’s life, but also his dad’s life and his life, too.
Jacob’s dream is significant in several ways. First, it illustrates that part of Jacob’s anxiety has stemmed from his lack of agency. Now that he has been able to determine where he wants to go and what he wants to do, he dreams more peacefully. Additionally, he sees the importance of the island, in that it gave people who were different—like his grandfather—a place of refuge and thus hope for the future—even for future generations.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Magic, Belonging, and Protection Theme Icon
Quotes
In the morning, Jacob and his dad have breakfast and discuss their plan: they’ll go birdwatching first, then set out to find the children’s home. They walk away from the town as the fog clears, and Jacob sees how beautiful the hills and fields look in the light. He feels “energized and hopeful” there. He and his dad head down to a rocky beach to observe the birds, and Jacob quickly realizes that his dad could spend the whole day there. Jacob asks his dad to let him find someone to take him to the children’s home, and though Jacob’s dad knows Jacob’s mom wouldn’t be happy about this plan, he agrees to let Jacob go.
Again, being on the island is a huge boost to Jacob’s confidence. In being able to determine what he wants to do, he feels “energized and hopeful.” And as a result of this new energy and confidence, he’s then able to convince his father to give him more independence than he might have had back home.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Kev isn’t at the bar, so Jacob goes into a nearby fish store to ask after someone who can take him. The shop owner offers up a boy named Dylan, who is about Jacob’s age. He leaves the shop with Dylan and a pair of rubber boots from the fishmonger, but anytime he tries to make small talk with Dylan, Dylan ignores him. On the way out of town, they run into one of Dylan’s friends, a boy who wears a tracksuit and fake gold chains and calls himself Worm. Worm explains that he and Dylan are the best rapping duo in Wales, starting up a beat and rapping a few lyrics to prove his point. Jacob doesn’t know how to react to this, so he just says that he prefers music with singing and more of a melody, which Worm dismisses.
Jacob’s awkward interactions with Dylan and Worm illustrate how much Jacob finds difficulty in forming new friendships. He seems to lack confidence in his interactions, even though it’s clear that he wants to relate to others and forge connections. This is another artifact of his childhood, where his lack of confidence made him insecure and a target of bullying; now, because of this, it’s difficult for Jacob to figure out how to make friends.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Jacob, Dylan, and Worm wind over pastures, up hills, and through dense fog. Jacob even loses the other boys for a minute in the fog, but they wait for him to catch up. Soon after, they leave the path and find a small, boarded up house. Jacob knocks, and the unlatched door opens at his touch. He steps through into the darkness and quickly realizes that he is standing shin-deep in excrement. The other boys cackle outside, and Jacob is furious.
Jacob’s interactions with Dylan and Worm continue to highlight Jacob’s struggles to find friends and how those struggles harm his confidence. Seeing him as an outsider, Dylan and Worm pick on him easily. This is particularly ironic, given the fact that Jacob is searching for a place that always protected Abe and gave him a sense of belonging, whereas Jacob hasn’t been able to find that wherever he goes.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Magic, Belonging, and Protection Theme Icon
Jacob asks to go to the real house, and Dylan and Worm grow uneasy—Dylan thought Jacob was joking. Pointing up the path, Dylan tells Jacob to keep going past the bog and through the woods, and he can’t miss it. Jacob says that they’re supposed to go with him, but Worm says that this is as far as they can go, disappearing into the fog. After a few seconds, Jacob decides that he’ll go on alone, despite his dad’s instructions.
Despite the fact that Dylan and Worm are really trying to undermine Jacob’s confidence, it’s clear that the mission Jacob’s grandfather gave him is inspiring his bravery. It emboldens him to face his fear of going past the bog alone, even though he knows his dad wouldn’t approve.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
A bog stretches in front of Jacob as far as he can see, and there’s a path that looks like it’s been untouched for months or years. Jacob struggles past the bog, and suddenly the trees part—he can see the house clearly atop a hill. While his grandfather always described the house as a cheerful place, it looks cold and monstrous to Jacob, with broken windows, oddly angled walls, and trees invading the sides of the house. Jacob wonders how anyone could actually live there, but he knocks just the same. When there’s no answer, he circles the house looking for another way in and finds an open doorway with vines hanging across it. It terrifies Jacob, but he’s traveled too far to turn back.
Jacob’s grandfather always described the home as a paradise—a magical place where he felt that he belonged. The fact that Jacob first sees it in its dilapidated state echoes the fact that Jacob hasn’t yet been able to find the “magic” and protection in a community that makes him feel welcome. Jacob again shows his burgeoning bravery in going into the house even though he’s afraid. Unlike in the nightmares, he isn’t paralyzed by fear; instead, Jacob’s actions show that he is gaining confidence in himself.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon
Magic, Belonging, and Protection Theme Icon
Just inside the door, Jacob finds rotting coats and scattered toys. He’s nervous, testing his weight gingerly on the staircase, worried that something might jump out at him. Upstairs, he finds rooms with missing walls, and he doesn’t know how to reconcile this with the image of the house his grandfather painted. It is impossible that anyone could still be living there, and he leaves feeling no closer to answers than when he came.
Even though Jacob is bravely exploring the house, he’s still afraid of what he might find there. Additionally, the scattered toys and rotting coats suggest the idea of remaining in a childhood state for too long—something Jacob feels is true in his own life, and an idea that will be explored later in the story.
Themes
Coming of Age and Self-Confidence Theme Icon