Unlike the usual step-mothers we are used to, hers is kind, treating her three daughter equally, despite the fact that only one is hers by blood. Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, left to work in her father's hat store after he passes away. One of the best things about Howl's Moving Castle is, hands-down, its protagonist.
DIANE WYNNE JONES HOWLS MOVING CASTLE MOVIE SERIES
All in all, it both was and wasn't what I was expecting, but although I enjoyed it, I know for a fact that I won't be calling myself a fan of Diana Wynne Jones - or this series - any time soon. Well, as I expected, Jones's story is a charming, cute, and fun adventure novel with just the right amount of depth to be considered prevalent, but also subtle. I've heard endless praise for this series ever since it was first released but, for some reason or the other, I was never drawn to it. Howl's Moving Castle is probably the single most popular piece of children's fantasy, right after Harry Potter of course.
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Have you read Howl’s Moving Castle? Let me know if you liked the book and what your thoughts on it are.At least no one can accuse me of not having read this book now. That’s why the house itself is a subversion of expectations even within the story. Although it looks large on the outside, the interior is really “Howl’s old house in Porthaven”(p.61). Yet when it’s revealed that Howl is not wicked at all, the castle becomes an unexpected place to find a good person (and perhaps even a hero, depending on the way you look at it). Because Howl is established to be a villain at first, it makes sense that his moving castle is “tall and thin and heavy and ugly and very sinister” (p.39). This is probably my weakest point, but hear me out. Unlike conventional heroes from many fairy tales and legends, he’s reluctant to step up when no one else can, but still manages to be a likeable character. He even admits to Sophie the the only way he can do something frightening “is to tell not doing it” (p.292). Howl is described to be a “slitherer-outer” (p.78) as his cowardice prevents him from being a hero. In fact, the reader hardly notices the progression of Sophie and Howl’s relationship until the end of the book.
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Dramatic, cowardly, and self-absorbed, he’s not a conventional hero, love interest, or secondary character at all. I think Howl has to be one of the most iconic parts of Howl’s Moving Castle (he even has his name in the title). Similarly, her younger sisters also end up well, and the three remain close. Destined to “fail first” (p.9) if the three sisters ever set out to seek their fortunes, Sophie is still able to find her happy ending by the end of the book. Fanny proves to be a kind person, treating her three daughters equally, and even though she doesn’t always make the best decisions for them, she means well.Īdditionally, rather than focusing on the youngest child like in many fairy tales - it’s explicitly stated that Martha, the youngest daughter, will eventually “have the best of it” (p.10) simply because she is the youngest - the story’s main character is Sophie, the eldest child. With this familiar setup, one would typically assume that the stepmother, Fanny, would favor her youngest daughter and mistreat the other two girls. When said stepmother moves in with the family, she gives birth to a third daughter. First, a hatter with two daughters remarries a younger woman after his first wife dies. To begin with, Howl’s Moving Castle is set up as a typical fairy tale. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help – the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills.īut the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls… In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. “I’ll break your spell if you agree to break this contract I’m under.” “How about making a bargain with me?” said the demon.
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It’s such a cozy book with lovable characters and I thought I’d write a quick post spotlighting its trope subversion today. A while back, I reread Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle and found it as charming as I had when I was younger.