Most people who watch films and read stories would say that the movie adaptation is frequently different from the book. The fantasy novel, Howl’s Moving Castle, by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York, is no exception to this statement. Sophie, the main character, is the eldest of three daughters and “In the land of Ingary…it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest,” (Jones 1). Early in the tale, she gets transformed into an old lady by a spell that is cast by the Witch of the Waste. The only way for her to rid herself of this awful spell would be to find an always-moving castle in the hill whose owner was the powerful wizard Howl. She forms a secret contract with Howl’s fire demon named Calsifer who says that if she would break the curse between him and Howl, then he would break her spell. Along the journey she faces the Witch of the Waste many times and learns more about the details between Howl’s and Calsifer’s contract. Because the antagonists in the novel is different in the movie, the characters transform both the plot and subplots of the narrative; several of the characters are drastically changed, and this causes a striking difference in the way the reader and viewer understand the story. The main antagonist in the book is the Witch of the Waste, a powerful and major character. She is an elegant woman who made a contract with a demon of greed in exchange for power, but this contract makes her self-absorbed, lonely, and unhappy. To ease her unhappy state, she breaks the hearts of innocent, young men. Eventually this stops easing her pain and she decides to create an ideal partner by combining the parts of several men. She captures two candidates she finds suitable and then decides to capture Howl. Because she isn’t able to capture Howl, (he realizes her true nature and runs away) she decides to try again and not stop until she obtained his head. Sophie, one of the main characters, by chance interacts with Howl early in the novel, and because of this interaction the witch casts a spell on her transforming her into an old woman. Throughout the whole novel Howl, Sophie, and a few other characters are hiding from this witch, and eventually face her. Without this major character, the reader would be very confused as to who the main characters in the story opposed. In contrast with the novel, in the movie version directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Witch of the Waste is more of a minor and weaker character than in the novel. The new main antagonist of the movie is a royal sorceress named, Madam Suliman, who is a character that wasn’t originally in the novel. According to the screenplay, Madam Suliman used to apprentice the wizard Howl, until he makes a contract with the demon, Calsifer, and then decided to stop being an apprentice. The royal sorceress considers his contract with a demon unacceptable and dangerous, just like the Witch of the Waste’s demonic contract. Upon inviting the Witch of the Waste to the royal court, Madam Suliman corners the witch into
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During the climax, Sophie is the first to go face the witch at her magical castle, but was quickly overpowered and captured. Soon afterwards, Howl arrives at the scene and defeats the witch, but her demon tactfully hides in another vessel. Losing its human vessel, it hides in an inanimate object within Howl’s own castle and seeks to capture Howl’s body, by taking his heart. Howl’s heart is in possession with Calsifer because of the contract between them. The demon isn’t quick enough to capture Howl’s heart because Sophie quickly returns Howl’s heart back into his body using magic and thereby releasing Calsifer and Howl of their contract. With his heart returned Howl destroys the dead witch’s heart by using a powerful spell, and the evil demon is defeated. By having this type of climax the author allowed the reader to get a clear understanding to how the conflict of the story resolved. Upon the resolution of the novel, everything is resolved and the main characters get a happy
During the climax, Sophie is the first to go face the witch at her magical castle, but was quickly overpowered and captured. Soon afterwards, Howl arrives at the scene and defeats the witch, but her demon tactfully hides in another vessel. Losing its human vessel, it hides in an inanimate object within Howl’s own castle and seeks to capture Howl’s body, by taking his heart. Howl’s heart is in possession with Calsifer because of the contract between them. The demon isn’t quick enough to capture Howl’s heart because Sophie quickly returns Howl’s heart back into his body using magic and thereby releasing Calsifer and Howl of their contract. With his heart returned Howl destroys the dead witch’s heart by using a powerful spell, and the evil demon is defeated. By having this type of climax the author allowed the reader to get a clear understanding to how the conflict of the story resolved. Upon the resolution of the novel, everything is resolved and the main characters get a happy