The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgentstern is a unique fantasy story with a few different lessons to be learned: your actions affect the actions of others, choosing what is right and what is wrong, and never letting others control your life.

            Prospero and A.H., the two magicians, have this cruel game that they play with each other in which their apprentices duel with wits and skill until one of them dies. Prospero is the one to bring up the proposal, using his daughter Celia, who has a raw talent and a temper. A.H. brings forward Marco, an orphan who must be freshly trained in the way of magic. As we follow Celia’s and Marco’s upbringing, we can see that the magicians torture and use them for their own selfish desires. What I thought was interesting, however, was that despite the magicians’ efforts to keep their wards anonymous from each other, they still happen to meet and become friends. This is vital to the plot because now that they are friends and in love, they will do anything in order to get out of the conflict they were placed in. They have this terrible destiny but they are able to challenge it and in the end do now have to battle each other. Celia and Marco actually choose death over conflict. They are wise and humble enough to know the difference between right and wrong are able to find the right resolution that opposes the magicians’ wrong ambitions.

            We see that the actions of the magicians affect Celia and Marco’s choices. Both A.H. and Prospero are cruel to them and mysterious about their ultimate destinations. This naturally gives Celia and Marco questions, and unanswered questions leave them dissatisfied and make them want to rebel, especially at older ages. Once they have this idea that they can rebel, they are able to imagine alternate choices for themselves and their fate together. They are able to defy their wicked destinies. After Celia dies trying to save Marco and they both die, their souls are tied to the circus in a way that they haunt it. In the event that they have both died, The Night Circus starts to fall apart and the entertainers of the circus seem cursed to fail. But Celia and Marco are able to will their spirits to bring the circus back to life and, under new management, bring back the magic and spirit of the beloved circus.