Week Seven: The Night Circus

Set in a whimsical and magical environment, the Night Circus plays out through delicate prose that touches on just the right senses to set the scene. Rather than tell a story in a chronological, straightforward manner, the novel skips around the timeline, revealing bits and pieces of its world at a time. I appreciated the sensory imagery immensely, and I personally think mood and atmosphere are a very important element in delivering a compelling narrative. Telling a story of two young magicians forced into a game waged by their masters, the main conflict arises when the two start to follow their own desires and begin defying their teachers. Magical stories of this nature are commonly read by young teenagers and even preteens and have a large impact on their culture and mindset in a very sensitive time in their life. Often, these stories of magic are familiar to us because the protagonists are also coming of age and going through major changes in their life as they pass from child to adulthood, just like the target audience of these stories. The Night Circus, in particular, dealt with the expectations parents impose on children, and the implications of what can happen if the child begins develop independence and stray from the path that has been laid out for them. Marco and Celia were both groomed to follow the interests of their respective "parents" (or rather, mentors), and must abide by the rules of a game waged without their consent. Initially, they follow the paths presented to them, obediently excelling in their studies and competing dutifully. However, as time passes, their own interests develop, and they fall in love with each other. Like a teenager rebelling against their parents as they find their own way in the world, Marco and Celia rebel against their masters, making a statement that children should not be the puppets of their parents. For young adults also trying to navigate their way in the world, stories like this remind them that they are not alone and that their journey is valid. They tell the experiences of a strange limbo nestled between childhood and adulthood, only adorned with magic and supernatural embellishments, accompanying young adults through the foreign, if not magical, land that is adolescence.