Lettie Hatter Character Analysis in Howl’s Moving Castle

Lettie is Martha and Sophie’s middle sister. She’s considered the most beautiful, and she’s also the most ambitious—though as the second-born, she’s not destined for greatness. Because of this, when the girls’ father dies, Fanny apprentices Lettie to the local bakery; Lettie will be able to marry and live a mediocre life. However, Lettie and Martha switch places, so Lettie ultimately apprentices with the witch Mrs. Fairfax. Soon after Sophie turns into an old woman, Howl begins courting Lettie—but when Lettie lets on that Sophie is her sister, Howl continues to court her but is really just trying to get information out of her about Sophie. For her part, Lettie is concerned for Sophie’s safety, so she sends Percival, the dog-man, to protect Sophie from Howl. Lettie seems to be in love with Percival, but at the end of the novel, when Percival turns back into the two men who made him up (Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman), Lettie accepts Wizard Suliman’s offer to take her as an apprentice.

Lettie Hatter Quotes in Howl’s Moving Castle

The Howl’s Moving Castle quotes below are all either spoken by Lettie Hatter or refer to Lettie Hatter. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter, Lettie Hatter, Martha Hatter

Page Number and Citation: 1

Explanation and Analysis:

The novel’s opening lines introduces readers to a belief that guides protagonist Sophie throughout the novel: that because she’s the first of three children, she’s destined to fail. This passage highlights that this is a widespread societal belief in Ingary, which helps Sophie justify believing in it as well: she’s not unusual, in other words, for expecting that she’s going to fail due to being the oldest. It also sets up Sophie’s eventual failure as a fact, something that’s not worth arguing with. And this mindset leads Sophie to inaction throughout the novel, as she believes there’s no use fighting Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laboru

“I never knew!”

“Well, it wasn’t much good going on about it when you were so busy backing Mother up about me making my fortune,” Martha said. “You thought Mother meant it. I did too, until Father died and I saw she was just trying to get rid of us—putting Lettie where she was bound to meet a lot of men and get married off, and sending me as far away as she could! I was so angry I thought, Why not? And I spoke to Lettie and she was just as angry and we fixed it up. We’re fine now.”

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter (speaker), Martha Hatter (speaker), Lettie Hatter, Fanny

Page Number and Citation: 26

Explanation and Analysis:

Sophie has gone to visit Lettie at her apprenticeship in Market Chipping—but she discovers that Martha and Lettie have used a spell to switch places, so she’s actually speaking to Martha. Martha is explaining why she and Lettie switched places. Essentially, Martha insists that because Sophie and Fanny have been so focused on telling Martha that she’s destined to make her fortune, it took Martha a long time to realize that she doesn’t want to make her fortune. In fact, she just wants to get married and have a family. Upon the girls’ father’s death, when Fanny got each daughter Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae c

“As if I wouldn’t recognize one of my own honey-based spells! But as I said to her at the time, ‘I’m not one to keep anyone against their will and I’d always rather teach someone who wants to learn. Only,’ I said to her, ‘I’ll have no pretense here. You stay as your own self or not at all.’ And it’s worked out very happily, as you see.”

Related Characters: Mrs. Fairfax (speaker), Sophie Hatter, Martha Hatter, Lettie Hatter, Michael

Page Number and Citation: 166

Explanation and Analysis:

Sophie and Michael are visiting Mrs. Fairfax, and Mrs. Fairfax is explaining why she’s not at all upset to have Lettie as an apprentice rather than Martha, who was her original apprentice. Initially, Martha was Mrs. Fairfax’s apprentice, as Fanny believed that a career in witchcraft was going to help Martha find her fortune (as the third-born, Martha is supposedly destined to be wildly successful). But Martha discovered she wasn’t actually that ambitious, while middle sister Lettie is—so the two switched places, using one of Mrs. Fairfax’s switching spells. Mrs. Fairfax’s no-nonsense manner as she explains her thinking to Sophie Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non i

But she could not deny that something had been wrong ever since the moving castle moved, or even before that. And it seemed to tie up with the way Sophie seemed so mysteriously unable to face either of her sisters.

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter (speaker), Lettie Hatter, Martha Hatter

Page Number and Citation: 364

Explanation and Analysis:

Sophie is out killing weeds, grumbling to herself about what she thinks is making her so angry—but she’s unwilling to voice this thought, that whatever’s wrong is connected to her unwillingness to speak to Martha or Lettie. Put simply, the novel implies that a lot of Sophie’s angst is related to suddenly feeling cut off from her blood family. Prior to Martha and Lettie leaving home for their apprenticeships, Sophie had close relationships with them. But since they left, they haven’t spoken much. Indeed, Sophie’s transformation from a perfectly normal young woman into one who felt afraid of everything and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque

Lettie Hatter Character Timeline in Howl’s Moving Castle

The timeline below shows where the character Lettie Hatter appears in Howl’s Moving Castle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...shop in Market Chipping. Sophie’s mother dies when Sophie is two and her younger sister Lettie is one. Their father marries a shop assistant named Fanny, who soon has the third... (full context)

...as she enjoys being in charge of raising her sisters and breaking up their fights (Lettie always insists that, despite being the second-born, she’ll marry a prince). Sophie regularly has to... (full context)

...hearts. All the girls in Market Chipping are warned to never go out alone. Sophie, Lettie, and Martha wonder often what Wizard Howl does with girls’ hearts or souls—until the day... (full context)

After the funeral, Fanny sits down with Sophie, Lettie, and Martha. She explains that the only way to stay afloat is to get each... (full context)

Sophie helps Martha pack the next morning. Lettie refuses help and seems happy to leave the hat shop for the bakery. Over the... (full context)

After a month, Sophie hears gossip about Lettie: Lettie is drawing gentleman customers to Cesari’s, where they buy lots of cakes and ask... (full context)

Business is picking up, and Fanny almost regrets sending Martha and Lettie away. Sophie spends her nights trimming hats in the house just to keep up. There’s... (full context)

...May Day rolls around. Before she leaves, Sophie trims a few more hats, reasoning that Lettie is working today so there’s no hurry. But when Sophie finally goes out, she’s in... (full context)

...she reaches Cesari’s, where the crowds are just as bad inside as they are outside. Lettie is behind the counter bagging cakes while a gaggle of admirers crowds the counter. When... (full context)

...but she soon sees that the girl in front of her is indeed Martha, not Lettie. Swearing Sophie to secrecy, Martha explains that since Lettie wanted to learn witchcraft, she and... (full context)

...her fortune. It only became clear to her how manipulative Fanny is once she and Lettie got out—and now, she and Lettie are happy, but they feel bad for Sophie. Sophie... (full context)

As Sophie shuffles toward the edge of town, she decides to write to Lettie and Martha later. She reaches the country lanes and enjoys the warm day. Sophie keeps... (full context)

...the game fairly. But Howl ignores Sophie’s scolding and says that he thinks of lovely Lettie Hatter all the time. Sophie feels suddenly anxious: Martha has clearly been busy, and she’s... (full context)

...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. (full context)

Sophie confirms that Michael loves the Lettie at Cesari’s, and she’s happy for Martha: Michael is sensible, kind, and has a career... (full context)

...King will be easy. Sophie decides she’s had enough. She’s leaving tomorrow to go find Lettie. (full context)

...Calcifer he doesn’t have to put up with Sophie’s bullying, says he’s off to see Lettie, and grabs his guitar. But when he opens the door, the scarecrow is there, and... (full context)

...the castle coming along behind him. As Sophie explains where she’s going and that this Lettie Hatter is her grandniece, Michael realizes she’s concerned that Howl is courting Lettie. (full context)

...opens the door, she doesn’t recognize Sophie. Michael explains that Sophie is here to see Lettie, her grandniece, and Mrs. Fairfax invites them inside. Before Sophie and Michael can enter, though,... (full context)

Sophie suggests that the dog has the right idea, but Mrs. Fairfax says she knows Lettie’s suitor is Wizard Howl. He used a false name and clearly didn’t remember her, but... (full context)

...she recognized what was going on with the switching spell at once, but she told Lettie to stay as herself or leave. She’d rather teach someone who wants to learn. With... (full context)

...has. He’s clearly agitated as he rips up pages of notes and says that his Lettie is far prettier than Mrs. Fairfax’s Lettie. Still worried for the real Lettie, Sophie asks... (full context)

...decides he can’t work the spell. Fortunately, he says, Howl will be helpful now that Lettie’s giving in. (full context)

...his best suit, for running around so much yesterday, and for snooping on him and Lettie. Sophie snaps that judging by the look on Lettie’s face, Howl won’t need to visit... (full context)

...Howl swallows his surprise and turns on the charm, and Sophie suspects his romance with Lettie is over. (full context)

...told it that it was made to draw in hearts while mending it. That’s why Lettie looked so in love, and it must’ve had an effect on Miss Angorian. She must... (full context)

...Sophie for a hot drink. Sophie refuses and asks if Howl is going to ignore Lettie now that he’s pursuing Miss Angorian. Howl makes his own drink and ignores Sophie for... (full context)

...back to the suit, realizing that Howl must’ve been looking for Justin when he met Lettie in Upper Folding and got distracted. When she discovers that the suit is getting smaller... (full context)

...gone, Howl is silent. Sophie realizes that she has the chance now to go see Lettie, but she can’t find the seven-league boots in the closet—Howl must’ve hidden them. As Sophie... (full context)

...as the dog stands on its hind legs—and becomes a red-headed man. Panting, he says Lettie sent him. She’s unhappy and sent him to stay with Sophie. Yelping at Sophie to... (full context)

Michael is thrilled to be moving to Market Chipping, where he can visit “[his] Lettie” every day. Howl interrupts Michael, though, by coming downstairs and asking Sophie to clean his... (full context)

...the buckets are the seven-league boots—a clear sign, Sophie believes, that Howl isn’t interested in Lettie anymore. Howl is usually away through the black door in the mornings, and he insists... (full context)

...but this isn’t true. Something is wrong. Maybe it’s that Sophie won’t visit Martha or Lettie, since she doesn’t want them to see her old. Maybe it’s that Michael always takes... (full context)

...easily, and he says he was the dog Sophie rescued from the hedge. He told Lettie he knew Sophie, and he promised he’d keep watch. Just before he turns back into... (full context)

...the Witch from finding out anything and cursing Howl. Percival says he kept thinking of Lettie to evade the Witch, so the Witch thought Lettie was involved. He admits he told... (full context)

...is why Sophie found him with a stick. He then went to Mrs. Fairfax and Lettie, whom Howl was courting. Then, Percival says, Howl started asking about Sophie—and Lettie said that... (full context)

...eat girls’ hearts. Fanny says that Sophie has always been good at reforming people, like Lettie and Martha when they were small and selfish. But she should’ve told Fanny where she... (full context)

...says they’ve closed the flower shop. Martha hugs both Sophie and Fanny, and moments later, Lettie and Mrs. Fairfax enter with a picnic. Percival follows them in. Everyone hugs and shouts;... (full context)

Sophie notices that Lettie seems very taken with Percival; she clings to his arm like she owns him. He... (full context)

As Sophie tries to coax Calcifer to come up and say hello to Lettie, Miss Angorian enters. Ashamed of how rudely she treated Miss Angorian last time, and knowing... (full context)

...clean it. Before they can get started, Michael invites everyone to go inspect the mansion—but Lettie opens the door purple-down, onto the flowers. The scarecrow is in the doorway. Sophie is... (full context)

...now, and Mrs. Fairfax explains that this is just a magician’s golem. Percival faints and Lettie runs to him, but the scarecrow approaches Percival—and says Percival is one of “the parts”... (full context)

As Sophie and Howl discuss their first meeting on May Day, Wizard Suliman approaches Lettie and asks to take her on as a student. Howl suggests he and Sophie live... (full context)

Lettie Hatter Character Analysis

Lettie Hatter Quotes in Howl’s Moving Castle

Chapter One Quotes

Chapter Two Quotes

Chapter Eight Quotes

Chapter Nineteen Quotes

Lettie Hatter Character Timeline in Howl’s Moving Castle