opal dream

Secret of opal

       "The secret of an opal's color lies not in its substance but in its absences." I think it is the most confuse sentence in the book Pobby and Dingan. When I first time read it I did not get meaning of this sentence. However after I finish reading the whole book, I realize this sentence have a deep meaning. This sentence is not only talk about the opal. The novel's plot give me some hit to understand this sentence, because this novel is about imaginary friends, so I think the dream will be the most important meaning of this sentence. In the book Pobby and Dingan, the people who live in the Lightning Ridge all have the same dream about the opal. All the people want to get the beautiful opal or which opals can make them rich.

       In the Ashmol's family, opal dream is the most important dream in their life. Rex Williamson who is Ashmol's father, he wanted to get opal in order to make his family become rich and happy, but he is crazy about finding opals. Also he brings his family into Lightning Ridge in order to finding opal. Because of the searching Pobby and Dingan, all the people think he is a ratter. So he wanted to find opal to prove himself, and he wanted everyone who thinks he is ratter to be respected to him. Anne who is Ashmol's mother does not care about opal very much, but she wants to be rich and wealthy. She was live in England, but now she live in the poor town Lightning Ridge. Her dream is just want have a wealthy and happy family.

       All the people who live in this town are all focus the opal. That means the most of people all have this opal dream. However I think "The secret of an opal's color lies not in its substance but in its absences." really means the dream's result is important but the process is more valuable. Because in the process will left some memory which will never forget. However in Ashmol family only Ashmol understand this meaning though helping his sister Kellyanne to searching Pobby and Dingan. When he searching Pobby and Dingan he realized opal are not important, and he realize his family is more important than opal. When he made the funeral he chooses to give the opal in order to have a great funeral to his sister's imaginary friends. He wanted to use this opal to treat with his sister's health, but he failed. Because his family was too care about opal and ignore his sister's disease.

I think "The secret of an opal's color lies not in its substance but in its absences." want to tell us: the dream's result is important, but should not cost the entire thing in order to get the result. Sometime let the opal or the dream be visional is not a bad decision for the future.