Sophie"s curse in the anime adaptation of Howl"s Moving Castle is the start of her journey khổng lồ find love và self-love.
With iconic animated stories such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Grave Of The Fireflies, Studio Ghibli dismisses presentations. Counting on strong protagonists who fight against their demons while teaching us khổng lồ fight against our own, Hayo Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle spreads a powerful message behind Sophie’s curse, who starts a journey full of magic, surprises, and revelations.
Scary characters & even those who started as foes can change and even become part of a newly-embraced family, và Sophie’s journey ends up with a lot of important messages, with a specially powerful one behind her curse.
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Sophie's Curse Reflects How She Feels About Life
Sophie is the protagonist of this movie, which is Studio Ghibli’s anime adaptation of the fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle. She is a young hatter that, being the oldest of two sisters, has no great expectations in her life, then she decides khổng lồ work và take care of the monotonous hat cửa hàng inherited from her dad, while her sister works in a bakery in the city, enthralling a lot of men on tài khoản of her beauty, và her mother is traveling around the world with her new husband. Sophie believes she is inferior khổng lồ her mother và sister, both regarding intellect và beauty, và it makes her want khổng lồ lead a quiet life, without ever stepping or wishing to step into the spotlight. On account of her perceived idea of fate, she believes she is doomed lớn fail in life since she is the oldest sister.
Her life is about to change when she is stopped và harassed by two guards, và a handsome blond man, with pale blue eyes, and a charming smile pretends khổng lồ be her companion khổng lồ help her and dismisses the guards using his magic. She did not know, however, that the young man himself was using their encounter as a decoy for spirits that had been summoned by a powerful witch. They manage khổng lồ escape, và the young man leaves Sophie in safety at the bakery where her sister, Lettie, worked. Of course, Sophie had heard rumors about the handsome wizard, Howl, who was told to lớn steal & devour the hearts of beautiful young ladies, but she did not have reasons to lớn believe that the young man who had saved her was Howl, nor that she would face this destiny since she believed she would never be beautiful.
Afterward, when she returned khổng lồ the hat shop, Sophie received an unwelcome visit from the Witch of the Waste. The spiteful witch casts a powerful spell on Sophie, which leaves the shy girl trapped in an old woman’s body. She also makes the girl unable to lớn tell anyone about the spell, saying that is a message for the wizard Howl. When she looks at herself in the mirror, Sophie realizes that she became an old woman and there is nothing she can bởi about that but leave everything she used to lớn know behind & look for a “fresh” start.
What is more curious about this situation is how fast Sophie conforms lớn being an old lady instead of showing the logical surprise that people express when they are bewitched, but it stems from the distorted self-image she used to lớn have before that event. Since Sophie is insecure and lacks self-love, she ends up hiding behind her new face and body, even embracing a grumpy old lady personality. At first, it seems that old age makes her stronger và more confident, because, having been turned into an old woman, she does not need khổng lồ worry about the things that had always been a torment khổng lồ her, such as her alleged lack of beauty, which is not true và is the result of her low self-esteem, as well as her alleged lack of talent. Having old age as a kind of ally, Sophie now has the opportunity of letting herself be loved and, after this journey toward finding love while discovering self-love, taking care of those who have become her family, such as Howl, Calcifer, và Markl.
Even if her initial idea was that of isolation, later on she wants to lớn break the curse (as well as Howl's), & thanks to lớn the mysterious help of a scarecrow, she met Howl và started khổng lồ live in his Moving Castle as his servant, it seemed conforming to Sophie to lớn be able lớn assume this size to paradoxically show her true colors khổng lồ the world without being undertaken by the fears or insecurities that used khổng lồ torment và hinder her actions in life before.
Some people are plagued many times by thoughts about how would life turn out lớn be if they had the chance to lớn run away & start fresh in a place where nobody knows them & everything is new. It has to vày with starting a new life, and would it be possible lớn wear a new personality, as though it were new clothes, and finally defeat our inner demons? Because, in the end, people cannot run away from themselves.
With the spell cast by the Witch of the Waste, Sophie is given this otherwise impossible opportunity of running away from herself only to kết thúc up finding her true self at the kết thúc of the journey. As time goes by and the story unfolds, she notices and realizes that her insecurities are still there. As her confidence returns, Sophie starts khổng lồ become younger, but, when she depreciates herself and embraces old age as her ally, she becomes even older.
Howl, on the other hand, is a spoiled young man, who does not accept that things are not the way he wants them to be & prefers to lớn run away, something he has in common with Sophie, instead of having to prove his points. As his relationship with Sophie progresses, he starts to change too, và he realizes he loves her. He knows that Sophie is a key element in his history và lets her không tính tiền to make her own choices. Despite his immense power, Howl accepts Sophie as the heroine that she is, and anxiously waits for her to lớn find out her strength and break not only her curse but also Howl’s and Calcifer’s.
It is hard khổng lồ take confidence, self-love, và care & translate them into actions, but they are what makes the love between Howl & Sophie và the end of the war possible. Even if Sophie sees herself as being unimportant, trusting Howl’s feelings for her, as well as trusting all the ones that love her is the big point about learning how to giảm giá khuyến mãi with her demons và breaking the curse. Of course, we always hear a lot about loving ourselves, learning how to khuyến mãi with our flaws, và taking care of ourselves, but it is impossible to bởi that by oneself. All of us need support and people that let us miễn phí to get to lớn know our real identities & break không lấy phí from the prisons we created, which, a lot of times, are not even real.
There is nothing wrong with starting over and looking for fresh air. However, it is wrong khổng lồ try & escape from who we are, from what we have learned, and from the ones who love us. & at first, Sophie uses her curse as a shield. Dealing with our feelings and the view we have on who we are will always be a hard task, even more so when we depreciate ourselves a lot. It is only through accepting who we are & offering ourselves the opportunity khổng lồ change that we shall be able to get free from this imaginary prison, just lượt thích Sophie.
In today’s climate filled with superheros holding incredible powers, it can be hard khổng lồ feel powerful yourself. Sure, the escapism provided by these movies feel good — but back lớn your own reality, you can’t really blast an unfair quái nhân away when he/she makes a snarky remark, or save your colleagues from impending deadlines with a magic hammer.Not khổng lồ mention that for each generation, specific values prevail. Facing obstacles head on, never giving up, & the idea that it all depends on you are strongly established today (see the explosion of self-help books or advices on social truyền thông media on how khổng lồ crack your own code). This is simplifying a complex picture, making us feel inadequate for not succeeding và forgetting there are bigger forces at play. Worse, it can prove damaging lớn individuals struggling to lớn get by (“Don’t be sad” is like saying lớn someone “Don’t be poor”. It just is not that simple.)
Of course, the pandemic has helped us see that we need to lớn cut ourselves some slack — and that the system can always derail at times.
So, with that in mind, what if we looked towards a more human hero, one that has no apparent superpowers, và shines with humanity? What could such a nhân vật could teach us? Cue in Sophie, from Hayao Miyazaki’s Owl’s moving castle.
Sophie at the very beginning of the story.
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Heads up: spoilers ahead, as I talk about the journey the characters make.The perils of being normal in a world full of great powers
In Howls Castle, Sophie is as normal as it comes. At the beginning of the story, she is a modest hatter — an occupation she took after her father passing away, as the eldest of the family. Her world is filled with contraints, both internal & external — and to complete a bleak picture, a war is raging in the background.
Although very focused and hard working, Sophie is absent, & a heavy fume from a train passing again và again in front of her window hints at a heavy heart. She is in an apparent state of apathy: accepting her fate passively, which doesn’t prevent her lớn take her job seriously, but she does it without joy or optimistic perspective for the future. In that way, she feels relatable — we too can feel stuck in a daily routine, feeling that it’s only downhill from there.
We see very early that she does not exude confidence. This contrasts heavily with all of her colleagues who are obsessed with matters of the heart, or her sister, who looks lượt thích a little doll & seems like the opposite of Sophie in every way (make up, flamboyant clothes, personality). When first mention of a sorcerer in town, Hauru, that could « eat the heart » of young women, she retorts that she risks nothing, because he is notoriously only interested in beautiful girls.
So, at first, Sophie is as normal as they come, almost fading into the background. Nothing seems to prepare her to live an exciting adventure. And yet!
From here, the story kicks into high gear when she meets Hauru in a fairytale kind of way (he literally makes her walk among the clouds, above the city). We learn that this encounter angers the witch of the meadow, a terrifying sorceress in town with some unfinished business with Hauru. Except, she takes it out on poor Sophie, making her age rapidly from a young women to lớn a 80 year old grandma (ouch.)
Yep.And that’s really where the journey starts for Sophie. You could think that being turned into a 80 year old grandma would have her spiraling into an endless depression. & yet, after a few moments of disbelief, she does the only thing that she can: going to the meadow to lớn try và fix her problem — and her cracking back. Although she is an old women và moves at a slow pace, she starts lớn find solutions and embraces a “let’s see what we can do” attitude and she doesn’t waste much time lamenting on her fate.
Sophie escapes her bland existence in the face of difficulties through a practical philosophy: immediately accepting the things she doesn’t have control over (the Japanese: “Shoganai”, “it can’t be helped”) but still doing her best to lớn improve her situation. This is the first glimpse into what will be one of her most defining traits: courage.
Determination and steadiness in the face of danger
As a war is menacing, Sophie finds the moving castle & meets its occupants : Calcifer the fire demon (under some sort of maléfice — I mean in this movie, who isn’t), the young apprentice, Marco, and of course, Hauru the sorcerer.
Very soon, we get to see Sophie assert herself. She starts to show she is far from passive. She makes a pact with Calcifer (I’ll get rid of your malefice if you understand how to lớn get rid of mine), establishes herself as the maid of the house và is uses her frustration for her situation to fuel her incredible energy — one we’ve never seen before as a younger Sophie. We really see that age here has nothing to vị with her capabilities, và when she is focused on her goals, her determination is unmatched. In fact, everytime she feels a strong emotion or defends Hauru, she gets younger and younger, showing that “being old” is more an attitude than anything else.
She is phối in contrast with Hauru, her lãng mạn interest — he keeps moving around and flying responsibilities, she stays và faces her duties head on — first in the castle, and then when Hauru sends her in his place lớn meet the queen and invent some story to dismiss his participation to the impending war. He possesses immense magical power, she doesn’t và needs others lớn help her (although she is key for the resolution of the story).
Her normalcy in the story is what makes her a true champion, because despite being limited, literally cursed by a powerful witch, and 80 years old, she does her best with what she has. We vì see her defeated at times, when her insecurities about her appearance pop back. She cries at some point about never feeling beautiful in her life (this was a hard moment). Yet, despite all of that, she is an incredible force lớn reckon with, because she commits to lớn everything that is put in front of her, and this changes the course of the story.
Determination and courage his her first superpower. She possesses another, which carries the plot to lớn the end: her caring attitude and generosity. Yep, love.
Caring for others but standing your ground: Sophie’s ultimate superpower
Sophie shows all sorts of supports to characters around her — whether they are nice khổng lồ her or not really. She provides an essential thing throughout the story, similar lớn emotional labor in an office. She transforms completely the moving castle, và her dusting và cleaning reflect the effect she has on Hauru, Calcifer the crackling fire, và the apprentice Marco. She is the glue that brings all these individuals together to form a family.
But Sophie’s empathy extends beyond the realm of the moving castle. She consistently shows consideration lớn others. She is not expecting anything when she choses khổng lồ help, she just does it because it is the right thing to vày (which annoys her sometimes). Notably, performing small acts of kindness doesn’t mean she lets anyone walk all over herself. The biggest consequence is that, of course, this kindness is repaid lớn her. Let’s bởi a quick count:
So, what could we learn from Sophie’s relentless courage và empathy?
1/ it’s okay lớn be vulnerable and fallible & to show it. In howl’s moving castle, Sophie cries, screams, or feels defeated at times. She is not scared of showing it & once her feelings are out, she always gets back up. It’s ok khổng lồ have moments where you are down. The important part is lớn show up everyday & work it out.
2/ Consistent acts of kindness, without expectations, go a long way. Of course , it doesn’t always work, it won’t always change the people around you . But it shows YOU won’t be changed by their actions and stay true to your moral compass. It’s a way lớn become assertive & keep your dignity in all situations, even in the face of bullying or conflict.
3/ Understanding and empathy can change the world around you. At the kết thúc of the story, despite having powerful sorcerers & magicians all around, it is Sophie who moves the story khổng lồ its conclusion. She does it with her emotional intelligence, by understanding what happened lớn Hauru as a child. By digging up the truth, almost in a therapeutic way, she sets him free.
4/ Simply showing up everyday và not giving up IS hard và takes tremendous energy. But the results are incredible: you build safety & trust in the long term. Sophie feels very quickly like an indispensable part of the moving castle, và her dedication is not a spectacular display of power, but a steady work và energy that lifts other up. In the words of another great show, Bo
Jack Horseman: “Everyday, it gets a little easier. But you gotta vì chưng it everyday, that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”
