The Literary Roots of Howl's Moving Castle
How to Believe in Love and Magic Again
Only the very fortunate among us has never despaired in matters of love. Will I ever find my true love? Will the one that I desire, desire me too? Is this hope even real or is it just a fairy tale meant for more beautiful, better and luckier people than me? These are the questions that open the beautiful story of Howl’s Moving Castle written by Diana Wynne Jones.
The story is about a young girl named Sophie who gets a curse put on her by the Witch of the Waste, that turns her into an old woman. In despair, she runs away from home in order to find a way to undo her curse. Along the way she meets Howl Pendragon in his enchanted moving castle, a wizard known for stealing and eating the hearts of young women…but being an old lady she feels she will be safe with him. As it turns out, Howl too has a curse on him. Magic spells, true love, fire demons, enchanted scarecrows and a portal to Wales are all part of this intriguing story. When I read it, continually found myself surprised; it never quite went the way that I expected it to.
This is an extra long article I have written to analyze and explore every nook and cranny of this spellbinding story!
