Blog Entry 11: Ugly Draft

Focus on Innocent:

Sophie is a 17 year old girl but is looked a different age because she had to take care of two naughty sisters, she is a strong girl. When she was caused by the Witch of the Waste, she was so cool, and didn’t feel frenetic.  She accepted the fact calmly, not even any emotional waves when she saw in the mirror are stimulated. Sophie estimated the situation very fast, and made ​​the decision to run away from home. Sophie has a little quirk that just talking with hat or walking stick. In fact, it’s just talking with herself, because she was lonely and didn’t have friends to talk to. When she entered into the castle by herself, she talked with Calcifer, and made a deal with him that He promises to use his magic to break the curse on Sophie, providing she breaks the contract between him and Howl.

Howl accepts Sophie as a cleaner, and soon, Sophie’s sister Martha and Michael Fisher met and fell in love. Sophie gets help from Michael and lives in the castle. After months, Sophie found out that Howl is also escaped the Witch of the Waste because The Witch of the Waste is one of the most powerful magicians in all of the land. She was banished by the late King to The Waste fifty years before the story starts for causing havoc in the country. She and Howl had a brief relationship (while she was disguised as a beautiful young woman) which led to him leaving her hurriedly. Angered by this, the Witch cursed Howl, so that upon falling in love he would have to return to the Witch.

                The King orders Howl to find Suliman and Justin and kill the Witch of the Waste, Howl attempts to weasel out of it by having Sophie, pretending to be his mother, petition against the appointment— but to no avail. Instead of blackening Howl's name like he asked Sophie to do, she gets him appointed the new Royal Wizard, the post he has been trying to avoid for years.

                Sophie was captured by the Witch of the Waste. Howl comes to save Sophie and defeats the Witch of the Waste. Sophie uses her talent of talking things to life to break the contract between Howl and Calcifer without killing either of them. Sophie has been unconsciously retaining the spell on herself, but her concern for Howl weakens the spell, and with the death of the Witch of the Waste, who was a significant force behind the spell as well, Calcifer, as promised, breaks the spell the second she concludes the contract between him and Howl, and she returns to her proper age.

                Finally, Sophie and Howl find out they actually love each, and they will live together.

Blog entry 10

Notes

Howl’s moving Castle was adapted as an Academy Award nominated animated film by Hayao Miyazake in 2004. There are some different with the original book. There are two main archetypes Sophie and Howl.

Witch Howl: he was an Orphan who lived in his moving castle and escaped the Witch of the Waste. But finally he found out what he really wants to be and has to face. He is also a warrior who against evil and the order from power king, he finally helps to stop the war.  He is a super smug man who feels the color of his hair doesn’t well, so he dyed blonde hair. He wears gorgeous and expensive clothes, and spends at least one hour to make up in his bathroom every day. He also sprays strongly perfume, and carries a guitar everyday but doesn’t know how to play.

Sophie Hatter:  she is an Orphan who was caused by The Witch of the Waste, but finds the way to start new life. She is also an Innocent who finds out her lover and returns to young. Sophie is initially reserved and lacking confidence, she demonstrates herself to be a strong-minded individual after she is transformed into an old woman, becoming less afraid of what others think of her. Dutiful, kind, and considerate, Sophie also has a tendency to be impulsive in her actions and often feels guilty when she does something wrong, though her attempts to rectify matters are usually disastrous.

Blog 9

Overview of Critical Approach

         In “Howl’s Moving Castle”, there are two mean characters Sophie Hatter and Wizard Howl, and I think there are Monomyth Approaches in the book. Of cause not all 12 archetype version are there, but Pearson’s theory of archetypes would really help me to understand the critical approach for the book.

         Sophie is an Innocent who tries back to young, and then she finds out her lover. Howl is Magician who can change the world and against his teacher Ms Suliman for the war. If I use the Monomyth structure for my reading process, in the beginning, Sophie was caused by the Witch of the Waste that is The Call to Adventure. When she enters into the moving castle, that is the Crossing of the First Threshold. When Sophie deals with Calcifer, she works as a clean lady for Howl, in the time they have lived together, it likes the Road of Trials. And there are some Woman as Temptress for Howl.

         At the end, there are some The Magic Flight, and Freedom to Live.   

                                             

Blog 8

My critical Approach

        I would like to use Pearson's Heroic Archetypes to help me better understand the Howl’s Moving Castle, Howl and Sophie as the characters and a hero on a quest. Howl is representing the Magician Archetype and Sophie is the Innocent archetype with explorer characteristics as well.

 

Blog Entry 7

I have chosen Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne jones. This is a novel which published in 1986 and in 2004 it was adapted as an Academy Award-nominated animated film by Hayao Miyazaki.  This is a wonderful movie which I have watched 4 times, and then I read the original book.

         This is a magic story about a young girl Sophie who was turned into an old woman by a powerful witch and then found a job as a cleaning lady for another wizard Howl. Sophie deals with Howl’s resident fire demon, Calcifer: if Sophie can break the contract Howl and Calcifer have signed, Calcifer will help Sophie return young. Sophie learns that Howl a lot, he is a rather self-absorbed, dishonest and cavalier but ultimately good natured person. And after some adventures they have been in love. Finally, Sophie and Howl admit they love each other and live happily ever.

         The first time I watched the movie was 2005, Mr. Hayao’s movies are all great. This is one of the best from him. However, I think the book is better than the movie, because the characters are more full truth.