In contrast to Laura’s paper-cut-out of the Iron Man, the pencil drawn villagers only receive a shadow at the end of the tale, when more than just the Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon has been overcome. In Laura’s original and personal response to the story, she has purposefully depicted the Iron Man with a shadow, interpreting Hughes’ empathy with the character as a ‘real’ being. Only the little boy, Hogarth, helps the giant ‘metal man’, leading him to the scrap yard where he can feast on the mountains of old stoves, fridges, trucks and railway engines. The villagers do not greet the unexpected arrival of the Iron Man warmly. However, it also provides a narrative that has continued to resonate with adults alike, a criticism of human conflict, suggesting that insular thinking is the motivation for such reaction. It’s a much-loved children’s classic, known as a story ‘to be told in five nights’, the prose, lending itself to being read aloud. Ted Hughes originally wrote the story to comfort his children after Sylvia Plath’s suicide. Despite the other-worldly beings, the writing style and descriptions throughout made it appear almost believable.Published by Walker Books in collaboration with Faber & Faber, November 2010įaber & Faber first published The Iron Man in 1968. The story is one of the most inventive which I’ve come across in a long while, and I loved the way in which Hughes crafted his tale. All of my apprehension about it dissipated on the first page however, and I found The Iron Man to be an incredibly enjoyable little novel. This sounds very sci-fi, I know, and my wariness of choosing this as my first Hughes book to read was based purely upon the fact that I don’t overly enjoy science fiction as a genre. A friendship with a young boy named Hogarth ensues, and to prove his worth to the sceptical adults, the Iron Man is tasked with saving the earth from an evil space creature. What they don’t factor into the equation is that the Iron Man is able to escape. He is found by a group of local villagers whilst snacking on their farm equipment, and they decide that the best thing to do in such circumstances is to build an enormous pit and lure the Iron Man inside.

The Iron Man tells the story of a ‘man’ made entirely of metal, thought at first to be an enemy of the people. I therefore thought that rather than miss out on contributing entirely, I would schedule a review for one of my favourite books, Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man, which just so happens to have been published in 1968. I was hoping to be able to read and review something new for the wonderful 1968 reading club, hosted by Simon and Kaggsy, but my best intentions have been swallowed up in thesis writing.

Images of the iron man by ted hughes