The Wonder of Magic and Love in the Night Circus

I've probably mentioned it several times in class, but Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is one of my favorite novels of all time. I went back to read the story again for this week's assignment, after having spent some time contemplating whether or not to pitch a thesis inspired by the novel (the idea never went through unfortunately). Like the previous times, I thoroughly enjoyed Morgenstern's writing and world.

As for this week's assignment, I wanted to discuss how The Night Circus deals with both education in magic and the love story told throughout the novel. Celia and Marco never had much of a choice in their education; they were forced into it quite young and through circumstance, and simply grew to accept that their lives were bound to something much larger than them. Unfortunately, the two, having been pretty much bartered into this backwards game of chess, were more being trained rather than educated. Both A.H and Prospero used rather harsh means of making sure that Celia and Marco learned what they needed to, but that didn't stop the two protagonists from flourishing when left to their own devices. In fact, I would argue that Celia and Marco learned even more when they were challenging each other with their tents in the circus. The sheer wonder and curiosity that came with each new tent spurred a new competition, just between the two of them - one that slowly evolved into love between the two magicians. It just goes to show that many students learn best when given the creative freedom. 

Additionally, The Night Circus discusses the message of "love conquers all." Although we eventually find out about Tsukiko and her unfortunate circumstance, it is the love between Celia and Marco that saves the two from demise at the story's end. Their powers combined with their strong connection went above and beyond the game A.H. and Prospero were playing. It not only takes them out of their dire situation, but stabilizes the circus in its entirety so that it may continue without the magicians' physical presences. The power of love is what saved the day in the end - and is much more powerful than any magic there is out there.

Comments

  1. Caroline GadberryMay 3, 2020 at 9:36 PM

    I'm glad you discussed these topics on The Night Circus as they were my favorite lessons to take away from this novel. I enjoyed the perception of Celia and Marco being trained rather than actually taught and then seeing them flourish on their own, and I thought it was a valuable lesson to take away.

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