The Girl from the Sea: A Graphic Novel

A selkie’s seal-skin is a symbol in traditional folklore, often representing captivity, loss of agency, and the selkie’s unbreakable longing for the sea. The Girl from the Sea reshapes that mythology. Instead of portraying the seal-skin as a tool of entrapment, the novel transforms it into a multilayered symbol of Change as a Catalyst for Personal Growth. Through Keltie’s relationship with her seal-skin and Morgan’s interactions with it, the narrative reframes the selkie legend into something far more intimate and emotionally complex.

Although the seal-skin appears infrequently, its symbolic weight is significant. By shedding her seal-skin and remaining on land, Keltie chooses to support her seal family in their desperate situation. This choice positions the seal-skin as a symbol of familial obligation, a source of both strength and burden. Keltie’s devotion to her seal family motivates her transformation, yet it also isolates her. She cannot fully belong to the human world while her seal-skin waits offshore, reminding her of responsibilities she cannot abandon. The seal-skin, therefore, illustrates the central tension of family in the novel: It grounds Keltie, but it also strains her ability to form a stable human identity.

The seal-skin also anchors the novel’s exploration of identity and transformation. It marks Keltie’s identity as a selkie, dividing her existence between two forms but never fully releasing her from either. The skin enables her transformation into a seal but limits the duration she can remain human. In this way, the seal-skin becomes a visual reminder that identity is layered, shifting, and shaped by the connections one chooses to honor. Keltie’s willingness to set aside her skin shows her desire to build a human identity alongside Morgan. However, her need to reclaim it at the end shows that she cannot erase the part of herself tied to the sea. The seal-skin thus symbolizes a flexible, evolving identity rather than a fixed one.

The most emotional layer of the seal-skin’s symbolism emerges in Morgan’s response to it, especially during moments when she questions her own identity and desires. After Morgan initially rejects Keltie out of fear, Keltie prepares to return to the sea. Morgan takes the seal-skin not to control Keltie, as in traditional selkie tales, but to prove she wants her. By taking the seal-skin, Morgan signals vulnerability rather than dominance. Her gesture reflects a shift from shame toward sincerity, revealing her desire to build trust rather than hide behind emotional “boxes.” This moment reframes the skin as a symbol of connection rather than captivity.

This reinterpretation becomes most clear at the party, when Morgan wears the seal-skin as a wrap and tells Keltie, “I wanted to match you. So everyone knows we’re together” (175). Instead of symbolizing the loss of freedom, the seal-skin becomes a sign of acceptance, of Keltie’s identity as a selkie and Morgan’s identity as a gay person ready to acknowledge her relationship publicly. The seal-skin visually merges their identities, highlighting how transformation can strengthen authentic connection rather than threaten it.

The seal-skin symbolizes the novel’s central themes: the intertwining of identity and transformation, the complexity of family bonds, and the courage it takes to trust someone with your most authentic self.