The Night Circus

     Throughout the novel, the competition Celia and Marco must endure is mentioned. Both characters try to learn to rules throughout most of the novel as well as what it takes to win. It became frustrating towards the middle of the novel as I had learned very little of anything new regarding the competition. Mr. A.H. and Prospero were not very giving in information. However, once I learned that the competition resulted in death, usually, I was shocked. I did not want Marco or Celia to die just because of some ongoing feud.

     The fact that the tents and most things inside the circus were black and white gave the overall environment a more mysterious and ominous vibe. Plus, it always opened during the dark of the night. The stereotypical circus today consists of fabrics of vibrant reds, yellows, and blues, and they are typically opened during daylight hours which gives off a vibe of cheeriness and excitement. Also, the circus moving to a different unknown location every so often elicited the feeling of mysteriousness for those who wished to attend. Circuses today always advertise sometimes months in advance for when they will arrive to a set location so that the population can be prepared for the visitation and attend. If The Night Circus 's setting had been that of a modern circus, the environment would have lost its ominous and intriguing edge. Feldman, Natalie "The Night Circus" Pinterest, n.d. https://www.pinterest.com/selena8liu/the-night-circus/ "Circus"  Childre

     I loved how vivid the imagery was, specifically in the tents. Each tent was unique and sounded like something from a dream. The tents with the cloud maze, the wishing tree, and the ice garden especially were described with great detail and all seemed stunning. The tent that held the pool of tears, though simplistic compared to other tents, was beautiful. The tent that contained the bottle of scents elicited many pleasant images in my head such as the bottle that contained the scent of a roaring fire and roasting chestnuts during the winter and the bottle that smelled of a warm day at the beach. Sometimes I will run across a novel that lacks a bit with descriptions, but Morgenstern does an extraordinary job.  Bennet, Patrick "White Sand Beach" Uncommon Caribbean, Uncommon Caribbean. 5/28/14,  http://uncommoncarib-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/White-sand-beach.jpg

     The general conflict of Marco and Celia's love on unfortunate terms, though a bit of the cliche forbidden romance, was still captivating. The desire to see them overcome the competition in order to safely be together kept my attention throughout the second half of the book. The song "Carousel" by Melanie Martinez is similar to Marco and Celia's relationship. Complete with circus sounding background music, the song describes a girl who is in love with someone who is just always out of reach. For Celia, Marco is simply always out of reach due to the competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPoi9Sv6M0

     I was shocked that Bailey chose to abandon his family to follow the circus. I cannot imagine slipping away in the night to chase someone I had a crush on. Then again, I've never been to a magical circus in which a performer told me the fate of the circus relied somewhat on me. This goes to help support the theme that love can cause one to do actions deemed "crazy" without much hesitation. Marco and Celia also do something drastic, transforming into ghosts to avoid truly dying, in order to remain with each other. Once Celia discovered either she or Marco would have to die to end the competition, the only plausible solution they could determine was becoming detached from reality. They physically altered their bodies because they could not bear being apart, something I personally would call drastic, and they did so without hesitation.

     I was not a huge fan of Celia and Marco's relationship development. Sure, I wanted them together by the end of the novel, but the relationship felt a little rushed to me. When reading the first half, it seemed as though Marco and Celia were barely interested in each other as acquaintances. During the second half, they seemed to have instantly fallen in love. Yes, I wanted them together, but I wanted a little more substance and build up to the relationship.

I did not like Mr. A.H. or Prospero for the same reasons. Both men involve innocent people, Prospero's own daughter even, to attempt to satisfy a long lasting competition between the magicians themselves. The fact that they would not tell Marco or Celia how a winner would be chosen or even simply the rules was frustrating as well. The fact that Marco and Celia were pressured to practice for a game that they did not even know how to play was exasperating for them. However, I loved Poppet, Widget, and Bailey as a trio. Their adventures around the circus were more lighthearted compared to the rest of the events occurring, and seeing their characters enjoy the various tents and treats was highly entertaining. The three characters seemed to be overall kind, youthful, and adventurous, unlike the two preceding characters.

     I liked that the fire represented the life force of the circus. The fire was always lit-- even when traveling. It only died when Celia and Marco changed physical states, but the fire was then reborn when bound to Widget, Poppet, and Bailey. The fact that the fire was used to represent the life of the circus was interesting because fire is often associated with destruction, death, and other words with negative connotations. I also thought it was interesting that Morgenstern chose to symbolize the connection between Marco and Celia using a scar on their finger. It is something so subtle and seemingly insignificant, yet it represents the competition they are forced to endure due to an older feud between Hector Bowen and Mr. A.H..

     Overall, the general plot reminded me somewhat of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In both novels, two people who fall in love are forced to fight to the death. Both couples, Marco and Celia along with Katniss and Peeta, manage to bend the rules causing for the competitions to come to a stalemate. The Circus was intended to be the fighting grounds for Celia and Marco, and others came to the grounds to either perform or enjoy the enigmatic tents. The competition could easily last decades. However, Katniss and Peeta were placed in an arena in which people were invited to view the events outside of the arena. Unlike The Night Circus, the game master in the Hunger Games manipulates the environment in the arena in order to pit the children against each other in order to provide a show for the outsiders. This does not allow for The Hunger Games to continue on for such an extended period of time. Marco and Celia being trained by Hector and Mr. A.H. is similar to how Katniss and Peet

     There were pros and cons to the novel using a 3rd person point of view for multiple characters. It would have been nice to have experienced the more personal thoughts of the characters, but the story flowed clearly nonetheless. At first, I did not like how the novel focused on multiple characters rather than just the experience of one. It was frustrating when I would become engaged in one character's adventures but then turn the page and read about a completely different scenario. However, I realized that being able to read about a multitude of characters gave me a wider range and understanding of the happenings of the circus compared to just reading about Bailey, Poppet, and Widget romping around The Circus. Bailey's perspective showed the more innocent side of the Circus through running around and enjoying the tents, as the audience is meant to. Celia's point of view showed the darker use of the circus as she endured training to win the mysterious competition she kne