Callum Quinn, © 2020
Howl’s Moving Castle
By Diana Wynne Jones
This (a) story follows Sophie, a hatter’s daughter and eldest of three sisters living in the fantasy land of Ingary. In her society, it is considered a misfortune to be the eldest of three children, as it means you are doomed to failure. So while her two younger sisters set off to seek their fortunes, Sophie is content to stay in the family hat shop and talk to the merchandise. But when her talent for selling hats draws attention from the malicious Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself turned into an old woman.
Now, unsure of what to do or where to go, she sets off to find her own fortune—and finds the enchanted, moving castle of the notorious Wizard Howl. Despite his frightening reputation as a woman-snatching, heart-eating monster, Sophie dares to enter. What she encounters inside is a snarky fire demon named Calcifer, a young apprentice named Michael, and the strikingly handsome, excessively vain and flirtatious—yet, harmless—Wizard Howl.
Soon, Sophie finds herself enlisted to help break a mysterious contract between the wizard and his fire demon. In the meantime, Howl is running from his own curse, and it appears to be catching up with him. And as Sophie learns the inner workings of the moving castle, she also comes to realize that much of what she’s seen and heard is not what it seems.
The (A) story here is based off perception, particularly the way we view ourselves. When Sophie is first transformed into an old woman, she is astonishingly un-bothered by it. In fact, she believes the tired, feeble exterior is more fitting for her timid, “eldest child” personality. As time moves on, it becomes apparent that this spell may, in fact, be partially her own doing. When Calcifer examines her, he notes that it’s clearly the Witch of the Waste’s magic, but also that there are “two layers” to it. Later, Howl admits he’s noticed the spell and even tried to remove it from her a few times to no avail. This leads him to the conclusion that she “like[s] being in disguise.”
These circumstances are reflective of how Sophie has always viewed herself. As the eldest child, and the one doomed to failure at that, she holds a certain responsibility to the household and the family and does nothing to draw attention to herself nor aspires to do greater things. In a way, she is already a tired, feeble woman trapped in the body of a young girl, and the spell is simply reinforcing her own belief about herself.
But the theme of self-perception doesn’t end with Sophie. Howl comes with his own set of guises and personalities, including “Howell Jenkins,” “Sorcerer Jenkin,” and “Wizard Pendragon,” depending on who he is speaking with. As far as Sophie can see, he is a “slitherer,” always trying to weasel his way out of doing things he doesn’t want to, and he does this by creating rumors about himself to keep certain people from coming to him for help. This is best seen when he sends Sophie off to the king to blacken his name.
For the most part, the rumors he starts are based on some thread of truth. His reputation for stealing young girls and eating their hearts comes from the reality of his fickle and flirtatious nature; his “uselessness” to the king is guaranteed by his cowardice in facing the Witch of the Waste again. But there are other things that Howl tells himself, as it is revealed later. He purposefully leaves an opening for the witch to find his sister’s family because he knows he’ll be angry enough to confront her there, and while his cowardice is a real obstacle, he admits to getting things done by telling himself he’s “not doing it.”
This is one of those instances where I saw the movie before I even knew the book existed. Back in high school a friend of mine brought Howl’s Moving Castle to a movie night and I found myself liking it a lot. So when I found out it was a book first, naturally I had to get my hands on it. What happened was an immediate switch, which I’m sure most avid readers are familiar with: the book is better. That’s, at least, my humble opinion. But coming back to it even after several years, my love for it has not changed.
Howl’s Moving Castle is, in a word, unique. The concept was always something I had never seen done before, and its setting is colorful and strange but not wholly unfamiliar to those of us in the real world. It is one of those rare stories that has just the right blend of magic and reality to keep us entranced. And on top of it all is a wonderful sense of humor and a nice little touch of romance in-between. Another story that is good for getting lost in on a lazy summer day.
