Howl's Moving Castle Part 1

Hi Readers!

About a month ago, I saw the movie Howl's Moving Castle. It was beautifully animated and the story was incredible. I decided to start the novel that the movie was based on. So, if you've seen the movie, I hope you will enjoy my posts on the book that started it all. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I hope this inspires you to see it! :)

Chapters 1-3

Sophie is the eldest of three girls. She lives in Market Chipping, in a far off land called Ingary. In the land there is talk of a very powerful and mysterious witch and wizard. Sophie spends her time making hats at the hat shop her family owns, expecting that making hats will be her fate for the rest of her life. In Ingary, it is a commonly accepted fact that the youngest daughter will be the luckiest, having a fairytale life. The eldest will forever be the one making mistakes her sisters will learn from. Sophie has two sisters, Lettie and Martha, her step-sister Martha is the youngest. Her step-mother Fanny seems a little young to be Sophie's mother, but she is kind.

Remember the witch and wizard mentioned earlier? There is gossip about the Witch of the Waste, as a tall black moving castle has been seen in the distance and some think it is hers. It turns out the castle belongs to the wizard Howl, who supposedly sucks out young girls' souls.

One day, Mr. Hatter, Sophie's father, dies suddenly. Sophie and her sisters are forced by Fanny to become apprentices at different shops to support the family. Sophie isn't surprised to find herself staying at the hat shop to be an apprentice. Despite Sophie's quiet acceptance that her life as the eldest daughter will be boring, "she wanted to do something - she was not sure what - that had a bit more interest to it than simply trimming hats." (pg. 15) This is one of Sophie's characteristic that is admirable. She doesn't get completely settled into her set life, she still hopes and wishes. Sophie makes the most out of her situation by making the best hats in the town.

Another piece of gossip is heard by Sophie- the King's brother, Prince Justin, has disappeared into exile. Then, while searching for his brother, the King fell in love with a local girl. "Sophie listened and felt sad. Interesting things did seem to happen, but always to somebody else." (17) Sophie does feel disheartened at times like this, but she pushes her negative thoughts away and continues her work.

Out walking in the streets, Sophie sees Howl's castle scarily close, almost blending in with the houses. "What made me think I wanted life to be interesting?'' Sophie asks herself. She bumps into a blond young man wearing a dazzling silver and blue costume. Not used to boys looking at her slightly mousy face, Sophie keeps walking.

She arrives at the bakery where her sister Lettie works. Surprisingly, Martha is there instead, as Lettie and Martha switched places. They used a spell. from the witch Lettie is now working for, to make them look like the other. This is an example of people changing their fates.

Later, while Sophie is alone in the hat shop, a beautiful, wealthy woman arrives with a strange reddish-haired man behind her. The mysterious woman acts rude, and Sophie asks why she came if she doesn't like the hats. The woman reveals herself to be the Witch of the Waste, saying she doesn't like competition, and transforms Sophie into an old woman! As the Witch leaves, she mentions that Sophie will not be able to tell anyone about the spell she is under.

Despite the terrible situation Sophie is in, she remains calm and clearminded. Sophie decides that she can't stay at home and sets off, though she might not know where. This is the chance that Sophie has longed for- to be free to explore the world, even if her joints are achier than she expected them to be.

Sophie begins to work her way uphill once out of the city. In need of a walking stick, Sophie pulls at a stick in some hedges. It is really a scarecrow that had tipped over, so Sophie sets the turnip-faced scarecrow upright and looks elsewhere. Sophie soon finds a helpless dog that is stuck from its leash being wrapped around a stick in the ground. Sophie frees the dog and taked the stick. As the cold wind blows harder, Sophie looks for shelter. Howl's castle in moving nearby, and with new-found courage, Sophie decides she will stay in the castle.

The castle comes to a stop, and Sophie enters through the back door that is held open by a young boy. Sophie ignores him, sitting down in front of the fireplace. The boy says Howl isn't there and won't be back for awhile, and he says he's Howl's apprentice. The boy's name is Michael. Sophie falls asleep, not fearing the wizard Howl. After all, he was rumored to prey on young girls, not a wrinkly old lady that had become.

Sophie wakes in the middle of the night, and realizes the fire in front of her looks like it has a face. The fire speaks, saying he notices Sophie is under a spell and that he is a fire demon and is bound to the castle. Sophie asks if the fire, who's name is Calcifer, can remove the spell. Calcifer says he needs to study it for awhile. He tells Sophie he will break her spell if she breaks the spell he's under. Though suspicious of the demon, Sophie identifies with his longing to be free from maintaining the castle all the time. Sophie agrees to the deal, and Calcifer tells her she'll have to stay for about a month so she can figure out how to break the spell. Neither Howl nor Calcifer can reveal what the spell is. Sophie tells him to find an excuse for Sophie so Howl won't be suspicious. Sophie falls asleep, pleased she will be free of the spell soon...

Come back next week for part 2!