Howl’s Moving Castle is usually known because of its 2004 Studio Ghibli adaptation, not the original novel by Diana Wynne Jones, written in 1986. While it is a beautiful adaptation, it loses some of the fairy-tale magic that is in the book. In the book, Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three, and yet somehow gets the attention of the wizard Howl. Sophie finds out that she is a witch with the power to bring things to life as she helps Howl and his fire demon Calcifer rid the country of the Witch of the Waste. The original novel is a perfect blend of originality and snark about fairy-tales. While it is very much an original tale, with original characters and places, there are still elements of a fairy-tale. Sophie lives “[in] the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist…” (Jones 1). …show more content…
She believes she isn’t supposed to have a life of adventure and whenever she messes up, she thinks it is because of her background. Poniewozik asks, “Isn’t there a value in learning for yourself that life doesn’t play out as simply as it does in fairy tales?” (396). Jones is showing that fairy tales do not have to go how one expects them to go, and even in the land of fairy-tales, fairy tales are not real life. Sophie has control of her own destiny, and she does not need Howl to rescue her. In fact, she rescues Howl and Calcifer once she realizes she has the power to do that. Jones does not end the story with a traditional “happily ever after”, instead writing “Sophie knew that living happily ever with Howl would be a great deal more eventful than any story made it sound, though she was determined to try” (Jones 427). Despite being a fairy tale, Jones is rebelling against the usual fairy tale
The Castle, directed by Rob Sitch, is an Australian comedy, which delves into the lives of a stereotypical Australian family, the Kerrigans. The film touchs on issues close to home in a humourous way. The audience is introduced to the classic Aussie family, narrated in the viewpoint of the youngest of the Kerrigans, Dale.
The Great Depression of the 1930’s caused widespread poverty, but the popular culture of the time did not reflect this. People wanted to escape from this harsh time so movies, dancing and sports became very popular. Radios broadcasted boxing matches and boxers became stars. The heavyweight champion James J. Braddock aka “Cinderella Man,” gained popularity. James Braddock gained fame by winning many fights and proving everyone wrong when they said he was too old and couldn’t win.
The Interior Castle by Jean Stafford is a very disturbing but thought-provoking story of a woman who creates a separate world within her head after being severely injured in a car accident. The conflict of the story is Pansy’s attempted escape from pain. Throughout the story she develops an incredibly intricate world within her own mind. She attempts to run from the pain she feels by retreating into this world in which she has made for herself.
An Analysis of the Grimm Brothers by Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe wrote a paper on the philosophy of writing good short fiction. It was published in a book called ‘New short story theories’ by Charles E May. He stated: ‘What I here propound is true: -therefore it cannot die:-or if by any means it be now trodden down so that it die, it will ‘rise again to the life everlasting’ nevertheless, it is as a poem only that I wish this work to be judged after I am dead. P69 + 70
Mary Katherine, a young adult with sociopathic behavior, displays her disorder with frequent outbursts, lack of remorse and disregard for social norms throughout the novel We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. Her sociopathic tendencies are constant in the novel with mention that this behavior has been consistent since she was a child. Mary Katherine progressively shows her volatile actions in the story and her actions cause way to a multitude of problems for anyone in her path, especially her close older sister Constance. Her personality disorder coupled with her schizotypal disposition is inherent and not due to being spoiled or temperamental despite her being raised wealthy in a large household.
Humanity, since the dawn of time, fears anything they have little knowledge about. Instead, humans create superstitious beliefs based on fear and curiosity. In Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Constance Blackwood, Mary Katherine, Merricat, Blackwood, and Julian Blackwood are a wealthy family that live just outside the town. Six years ago, the rest of the Blackwood family is murdered at the dinner table with arsenic. The townspeople blame Constance because she cooks the food for the family and is an expert with herbs, but she is acquitted of the murder. Despite being acquitted, the townspeople abuse both Constance and Merricat simply because they believe that Constance was the only one who could have killed the family.
Could there be people who are consciously aware about how they live and the way society shapes them? The quote that W.I. Thomas, in other words, means that when people think something is true, there will be consequences from that belief. For example, when I was young, these girls for some reason did not like who I was and began to spread rumors about me. Therefore, people believed them. Although I told people personally that the rumors were false, they still did not believe me and that was the consequence. With this example, it portrays how each day, people behave and interact with the environment around
A hero. Today, by definition, to be a hero is to have abundant power, defiance, to attain fame and wealth, and to have the intrepidity to help the ones who cannot defend for themselves. However, Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien, grows to be a hero without possessing any of these qualities after he partakes in an adventure to help reclaim the Dwarves’ homeland from the dragon Smaug. This quest to the Lonely Mountain brings the indolent hobbit into a completely new world, where he faces trouble and experiences a region of supernatural wonder. Bilbo’s adequacy and heroism are shown in the adventure through his latent cunningness and courageous acts, and through the loyalty and devotion he shows to his companions.
Warner, Marina. From the Beast to the Blond on Fairy Tales and Their Tellers. New York: Chatto & Windus, 1994. Print.
Anne Sexton’s poem “Cinderella” is filled with literary elements that emphasize her overall purpose and meaning behind this satirical poem. Through the combination of enjambment stanzas, hyperboles, satire, and the overall mocking tone of the poem, Sexton brings to light the impractical nature of the story “Cinderella”. Not only does the author mock every aspect of this fairy tale, Sexton addresses the reader and adds dark, cynical elements throughout. Sexton’s manipulation of the well-known fairy tale “Cinderella” reminds readers that happily ever after’s are meant for storybooks and not real life.
“The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter is a feminist and gruesome retelling of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding-Hood”. The story involves a werewolf, who represents a sexual predator. The werewolf is used as a symbol for both danger and desire. It also involves a young girl who does not fall victim to the fear of the wolf that she is surrounded by. She embraces her newfound sexual power and serves as symbol of sexual desire/power and female strength.
Many fairy tales in literature convey hidden messages and meanings that can be found in almost every aspect of life. These subliminal messages are prevalent in the short story, “The Company of Wolves”, through the theme of gender inequality. In “The Company of Wolves”, Angela Carter displays the issue of gender through a feminist light in the plot and through symbolism, as she consistently symbolizes the woman and the wolf creature as archetypal ideologies of their own gender.
...the young girl prior to meeting the wolf, how the young girl strays from the ideals of femininity once she meets the wolf, and last, what is inherently not feminine as represented by the wolf and his masculine characteristics. The wolf does not naturalize masculine characteristics within the reader because he still acts somewhat like a wolf, he is used as a tool to further naturalize the ideals of femininity, by standing in stark contrast to them.
Warner, Maria, From the Beast to the Blonde: Fairy Tales and their Tellers (London: Chatto & Windus, 1994).
It starts with a fairy tale story, where all magical things happen and ends happily. The goodness is rewarded but the evil ones are punish. The closing of the story always ends with “and they live happily ever after,” and the main character becomes unhappy but eventually gains happiness at the end. The traditional Cinderella story figure is from “rags to riches.” It begins with a poor maid girl named Cinderella whose stepmother and stepsisters treated her unkindly, but because of the help of her fairy godmother, Cinderella found her Prince Charming. In Anne Sexton’s Cinderella story, the author made changes to the traditional fairy tale by adding her own tale. Throughout the poem, Sexton uses sarcasm to finish the tale initiating the readers’ expectation of happy ending and a traditional fairy tale to vanish. In doing so, she shows the difference between the fairy tale and reality world. Sexton’s poem mocks the traditional happy ending. She is trying to show the reader that happily-ever-after does not even exist in reality. Overall, Sexton’s poem would be considered a dark classic fairy tale including violence and bloody details. By examining literary devices such as the author’s attitude toward the words she says, sensory details denoting specific physical experiences, and tropes to involve some kind of comparison, either explicit or implied, the reader will gain an understanding on what the author is trying to prove a point in her story.