Howls Moving Castle - Essay Example

Howl’s Moving Castle Howl’s Moving Castle is considered to be among the most successful films to be made in Japan and this is because of its plot that brings together different themes. This film, under the directorship of Hayao Miyazaki, only loosely follows the plot of the novel of the same name and instead enhances the role of other characters to make the story more interesting for the audience. It is through these efforts that this film received a lot of success on the market since it allowed for the story in the novel Howl’s Moving Castle to be seen in a different light. This paper seeks to show that the film has a number of extremely important themes namely self-discovery, hope, conflict, redemption, and love, that ensures that the storyline remains interesting. The most important theme in the film is that of self-discovery and this is seen through the life of Sophie, a young and beautiful woman who is turned into a 90 year old by the Witch of the Waste. Sophie is a woman who feels that she is not as beautiful as her older sister and that she is just a plain person that is not worthy of any attention. However, all this changes when she comes to experience life as an old woman. Through her ordeal, she comes to discover how much she has lost and as a result of this discovery, she is able to accept herself as an old woman. She tries her best to make her life worthwhile and this is a factor that endears her to her audience in such a manner that allows her to feature in other significant plot lines throughout the film without becoming boring. Her acceptance of what she has become is an extremely rare occurrence because it shows that Sophie is a woman of character that does not shy away from serious problems but rather confronts them as they are. She becomes a mother figure for the other characters as she not only works towards ensuring that there is peace among them, but also puts herself in danger so that they can remain safe from their enemies. It is essential to note that it is as a result of her strength of character that her true self comes to the surface even though she seems to be an old woman. Her acceptance of who she is as well as her willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of her friends allows her to be returned to her much younger form and helps her win the love of Howl. Conflict is a recurring theme throughout the film and this is mainly as a result of the war that takes place between the country in which the story is told and a neighboring country over the disappearance of the latter’s crown prince. These countries go to war over such a trivial matter as the disappearance of a crown prince and this war takes place despite there not being any evidence concerning whether one of them was responsible for the disappearance. Throughout this conflict, one finds that both countries pursue Howl, a powerful wizard, in order that he can join them in the war because his presence can be useful in ensuring that they win. However, when Howl refuses to join the war effort of his own country, his friends end up being victimized by Suliman, the king’s magic advisor, to force him to reconsider his decision. Despite the pressure that he undergoes, Howl chooses not to take sides in the war and instead works towards ensuring that the war is brought to an end. He does this through ensuring that he takes on a pacifist role where he interferes in the war in order to stop both sides from fighting each other. This conflict can be considered to be extremely wasteful because it does not provide for a peaceful resolution of conflict but rather creates a situation where war becomes the primary means of doing so. The manner through which the main characters respond to and survive the war is among the climaxes of the film because it allows the audience to see the resilience of human beings through hardship. The theme of hope is seen in the film through the lives of the main characters especially Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer whose lives are affected by the film’s plot and are all strangely entwined in the events that take place. Howl is a powerful wizard who is in high demand in both sides of the war that is taking place and this despite the fact that he is pacifist in nature. However, individuals such as Suliman do not take his pacifism into consideration and uses the means at her disposal to ensure that Howl is brought to her side of the conflict. However, Howl instead acts as a symbol of hope that the war will come to an end and he does this through taking actions that ensure that there is no confrontation between the two opposing sides. Moreover, when Sophie is turned into an old woman, it seems that she accepts her fate and does not attempt to fight it and this may be the reason why she ends up reverting to her former self later in the film. This shows that all predicaments have an end and that no situation or condition, however bad, is permanent and that there is always hope for things to become better. Calcifer’s life is also one full of hope and this is mainly that of attaining his freedom. Calcifer was a dying star when he met a boy Howl who, taking pity on him gave him his heart so that he could go on living. Howl’s giving his heart to Calcifer is a symbol of hope and selfless sacrifice because he allows the latter a second lease to life even at the expense of remaining emotionally trapped in his adolescence. Redemption is another theme that can be seen in the film and this is through various characters getting over the issues that have plagued them from the beginning. Among these is Sophie, who is returned to her youth after having been turned into a 90 year old by the Witch of the Waste and having come to accept her lot. However, as the film progresses, she is released from the spell and turns back into a young woman. The Witch of the Waste is another character who achieves redemption and this is through joining Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer in bringing the war to an end. This is despite the fact that she seems to have been against Sophie in the beginning, going to an extent of turning her into an old woman for no other reason but because she refuses to serve her. Furthermore, the Crown Prince is also able to achieve redemption from his curse through the kiss that he receives from Sophie which allows him to return to his true form from being a scarecrow. Calcifer achieves his freedom when the curse tying him to the castle is lifted and he is able to return to the company of his friends, no longer being attached to the castle. The theme of love is also prominent in the film and this is mainly through the efforts of each of the characters to find their place. The Witch of the Waste’s love for Howl is an important storyline in the film and this is also complemented by Sophie’s love for the same man. While the former’s love can be considered obsessive, the latter’s develops over time and it creates a situation where it is eventually returned by Howl. Love is also seen through Sophie’s kissing the scarecrow out of love and this result in a situation where he is turned back to the crown prince of the neighboring country. Moreover, it is as a result of Howl’s love that the war is not as devastating as it would otherwise have been and this is because he initially chooses to take action that ensures that no side of the conflict is able to fight the other. This is despite Suliman’s demand that Howl joins the war effort and uses his power in ensuring that the enemy is defeated, thus showing that Howl is a pacifist. In conclusion, the discussion above has attempted to show that the film has a number of extremely important themes such as self-discovery, hope, conflict, redemption, and love, and that these themes ensure that the film remains interesting. It should be noted that all the characters in the film are in one way or the other involved in these themes and this ensures that it not only remains interesting, but that it is also educational. Miyazaki’s ability to turn a story in a novel into a film and merge different storylines while creating others can be considered to be a work of art and this is the reason why Howl’s Moving Castle ended up being a success not only in Japan, but also internationally. Work Cited Howl’s Moving Castle. Dir. Mayazaki, Hayao. Toho, 2004. Film. Read More