Meanwhile, , a brave miner’s son, discovers the goblins’ plan: to flood the mines and capture the princess. He tries to warn the royal household but is imprisoned. Irene follows her magical thread, frees Curdie, and together they thwart the goblin attack. The goblins, in their chaos, accidentally turn on one another, and their king is killed. Peace returns, and the grandmother disappears, leaving Irene and Curdie as friends.
The central conflict arises from the "goblins" inhabiting the mountains beneath the castle. These are not the typical high-fantasy goblins of later fiction; they are twisted, grotesque creatures, formerly human, who retreated underground to escape the laws of the surface world. They harbor a deep hatred for the sunlit world and, specifically, for the King’s miners who dig into their territory. the princess and the goblin
The antagonists of the story deserve special attention. MacDonald’s goblins are unique in the annals of fantasy. They are not a separate species entirely, but rather humans who, over centuries of living underground, have devolved. Their hatred of the sun and their monstrous appearance are physical manifestations of their moral corruption. Meanwhile, , a brave miner’s son, discovers the
MacDonald famously stated, "I do not write for children, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five." This philosophy is why the book has endured; it treats its young audience with respect, never shying away from darkness or complex themes. The goblins, in their chaos, accidentally turn on