Night Circus

After reading Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, it is no wonder why the novel is acclaimed as a derivative of the world renowned novels of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter. Moregnstern writes in a fantastically imaginative manner , and her descriptions of the circus and the environment that the reader finds themselves in is nothing short of magical. Also, I enjoyed the incorporations of romance in that wasn’t overly contrived or forced - perhaps cliche, but ultimately the Night Circus proves to be more than just a romance. It makes the reader reflect on their own free will and the choices that one might make to be free of control.

Night Circus tells the story of two magicians, Celia and Marco, who are obligated to perform a perpetual duel to the death from a twisted agreement made by their caretakers years before. They must outperform each other in terms of creating new and fantastical creations for the circus - this proves to be an enormous strain on the both of them, as their magic is not only the complete opposite (Celia’s is alive and spontaneous, where Marco’s magic stems from academia), but the two begin to fall in love despite their fates.

Marco’s girlfriend, Isobel, discovers that Marco is in love with Celia - and out of revenge, removes the spell that tempers the Night Circus. The peace of the Night Circus becomes open to danger, and creates a number of horrible events such as the owner of the Night Circus accidentally killing an innocent clockmaker. Horrified, Celia begs for the game to end - but her caretaker tells her that the game can only end if either Marco or herself die. Marco is prepared to kill himself as well; however, Celia discovers that she can remove herself and Marco from the threads of reality and live in the world of ghosts, where both of them practice free will for the first time and are no longer destined to duel one another. The story closes with a happy-ending-after, where Marco and Celia watch over the Night Circus together, forever.

The moral complexities I saw present throughout Night Circus included the theme of free will; Celia and Marco don’t have any, because if they refuse to duel one another, they will lose and die. However, it was a nice touch by the author to allow the both of them to live by sacrificing themselves to help the Night Circus, and gain control of their own lives.