Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Howl’s Moving Castle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Destiny vs. Free Will
Appearances and Assumptions
Family
Magic and Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
Sophie is very sore and creaky after standing in the Porthaven drizzle, so she’s unable to go that night to warn Martha about Howl. She’s still sore the next morning, but she grabs her stick and prepares to leave while Howl is primping in the bathroom. He emerges before Sophie can even reach her stick, saying that he likes his hair this color and that Sophie greatly improved his suit. Noticing Sophie’s dour mood, he promises to do something for her rheumatism when he gets back from seeing the King and then leaves through the Kingsbury door. He flashes a dazzling smile as he goes, which makes Sophie feel a bit better—and worried for Martha.
Sophie sees Howl as entitled and dismissive—he threw a massive tantrum yesterday that caused Sophie to have to do a lot of extra work cleaning up after him, and he’s being awfully glib about it. He doesn’t know, however, that Sophie is also upset that he’s courting Martha, and that this is no doubt influencing Sophie’s bad mood. However, despite Sophie’s many uncharitable thoughts about Howl, Howl does suggest that he can be a caring person: he wants to help Sophie feel better physically, after all.
Themes
After giving Calcifer another log, Sophie starts for the door again. But Michael rushes out first, telling Sophie where a sea captain’s spell is in case he calls. Calcifer assures Sophie nobody will be locked out if she leaves and asks her to leave a pile of logs where he can reach them. Someone knocks on the door, so Sophie goes to open it. But instead of a person, the caller is the scarecrow Sophie spoke to when she left Market Chipping—and it seems angry and desperately wants to get in. Sophie screams for Calcifer to make the castle go faster, and soon, the scarecrow is left clinging to the castle wall. It’s not giving up. Slamming the door, Sophie realizes this is what she gets for trying to seek her fortune as an eldest child.
Everyone and everything, it seems, is conspiring to keep Sophie from leaving the moving castle (except, perhaps, Calcifer). That the scarecrow has come to life and now seems evil causes Sophie to think that the world is out to get her—and that this is just part of her lot in life, since she’s the eldest of three. However, Sophie nevertheless works hard to try to get away from the scarecrow, suggesting that she may already be learning from Howl and her sisters that she can at least try to make things go her way.
Themes
As Sophie tries to look out the windows at the scarecrow (she can’t because none of the windows look onto the moors), she realizes the worst part of being an old lady: her heart is pounding, and it hurts. Trembling, she sits by the fire and tries to explain her heart problems to Calcifer. When he doesn’t understand, Sophie snaps that that’s because he doesn’t have a heart. Calcifer informs her that he does, under the logs. They then argue over whether Calcifer can reduce the castle’s speed. Sophie returns to the door to peek outside; the scarecrow is 50 yards behind the castle, but still pursuing them. Calcifer protests, but Sophie begs him to make the castle go faster.
Again, Sophie continues to make assumptions about Calcifer that she then discovers aren’t at all true. Indeed, the revelation that he has a heart makes Calcifer seem even more sympathetic and human—though it’s also left to the reader’s imagination whether it’s normal for demons to have hearts. When Calcifer agrees to make the castle go faster, it suggests that he’s developing more loyalty to Sophie. He wants her to break his contract, but he also doesn’t want her to be afraid and in pain.
Themes
Throughout the day, items in the castle shake due to the speed. By late afternoon, the scarecrow is out of sight. Calcifer slows the castle down and goes to sleep. Sophie is feeling better, so she investigates Howl’s suit soaking in the bathroom. It’s stained and has shrunk, but Sophie knows she can mend it. She cheerfully starts dinner, chatting to the skull as she chops—and almost cuts herself out of fear when the door bursts open and Michael comes in with an armful of prepared foods. He grabs Sophie and pulls her into a celebratory dance. Finally, Sophie asks him to explain what’s going on, and he shouts happily that Lettie loves him, not Howl. Howl must be pursuing a different Lettie Hatter.
Given how intent Sophie was on leaving to go warn Martha this morning, it’s interesting that by evening, she’s so content staying in the castle. This may suggest that she’s settling in; Howl, Michael, and Calcifer may already be becoming a sort of chosen family for Sophie. Indeed, when Michael comes home and immediately begins celebrating with Sophie, it suggests that he sees her as an ally and a friend rather than as the evil person responsible for cleaning his room.
Themes
Get the entire Howl’s Moving Castle LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sophie confirms that Michael loves the Lettie at Cesari’s, and she’s happy for Martha: Michael is sensible, kind, and has a career ahead of him. Relieved, she says she’s Martha’s great-aunt and sits back in her chair. Unfortunately, she knows Howl must be in love with the real Lettie. As Michael invites Sophie to inspect the cake, Sophie realizes that Michael likes her now. She decides to tell him the truth about herself, Lettie, and Martha—but Howl bursts in before Sophie can say anything. Howl looks approvingly at a cake from Cesari’s, notices the chopped onions everywhere, and picks a piece out of the skull’s eye. The skull chatters at him in response, which seems to startle Howl.
As far as Sophie is concerned, hearing that Michael and Martha are in love is the best thing she’s heard all day. She no longer fears that Michael is strange and evil because he’s a wizard in training—indeed, she acknowledges now that a career in magic is sensible. Additionally, Sophie picks up on the fact that she and Michael are growing closer. She tries to strengthen their relationship further by telling him the whole truth about her sisters; her desire to do this is indicative of how much she likes Michael, even if she’s not successful in sharing the information.
Themes
Then, Howl sighs that he needs someone to “blacken his name” to the King. The most recent spell for the King worked perfectly, and Howl is afraid the King will appoint him Royal Magician. He calls for Calcifer so they can decide how to proceed, and even stabs a poker into the logs to wake Calcifer up. When Calcifer grunts that he’s tired, Sophie explains what happened with the scarecrow. Howl is shocked that Calcifer made the castle go faster just to appease Sophie, and he’s not pleased—he thinks Sophie bullied Calcifer.
Howl’s entitlement shines through here: he expects Calcifer to be ready to chat whenever he’s ready. Howl also seems perturbed that Calcifer and Sophie are developing a closer relationship. However, part of this has to do with the fact that Howl doesn’t seem to take the scarecrow seriously, and if he doesn’t think something is a big deal, he wants everyone else to agree with him.
Themes
As they eat the cold pie, Howl explains that the King is trying to get him to volunteer to go look for Prince Justin. When Sophie asks why Howl is trying to get out of this, Howl snaps that he knows he can find Justin and doesn’t think Wizard Suliman is dead. But he doesn’t want to go to the Waste, because the Witch of the Waste sent a spell after him last year and he’s only barely avoiding it. He explains that the Witch is unloved and everyone is afraid of her—Sophie should sympathize.
Essentially, Howl’s reasoning shows that he’s thinking about himself and not necessarily the greater good—but he tries to make himself look good by noting that he could find Justin and Suliman, if only he wanted to. Additionally, he tries to get Sophie to see that the Witch, while scary, is really just a person and isn’t so different from Sophie.
Themes
Before Sophie can respond, Michael asks if they should move the castle. Howl says it’s not a bad idea, if the King and the Witch are after him. Then, he suggests that Sophie should pose as his elderly mother and go say awful things about him to the King. If she can bully Calcifer, the King will be easy. Sophie decides she’s had enough. She’s leaving tomorrow to go find Lettie.
Sophie decides to leave mostly because Howl isn’t taking her seriously. She’s afraid of the scarecrow, for one, and she has no interest in helping Howl evade responsibility. For Howl’s part, he’s seeing what he wants to see when he looks at Sophie: a bully whose presence could be convenient, if she agrees to help him.
Themes
