A Night at the Circus

 The Night Circus (6 Points)

The prompt for this week's novel will be my focus, as I feel I spoke much of my opinions and general thoughts during the zoom class. So, what values are being expressed within this work?

Morgenstern is not as clear cut about how her magical world works when compared to the works of J.K. Rowling, and I believe it is entirely for the better. But it doesn't make my job to deciphering what kind of values Morgenstern wants to impress upon her audience. There are no magical houses or forces that show the black and white sides of good and evil, but rather Morgenstern's circus contains both colors as well as the shades of grey in between. Only upon writing this now did I realize that the colors of the circus could also be a representation of Morgenstern's intent to depict a world that is no so simple as to be good versus evil. In fact, this story doesn't really seem to hinge on a true moral dilemma other than the fact that there is an ambiguous battle and the requirements of winning are not clear cut to the participants. Much of the characters have their own flaws as well as their good values.

So, if we exclude the actual story being told by Morgenstern, as well as the characters and many of the events that are propelling the story further some way, I could glean that there is a value the author wanted to impart that is not traditional in the sense of other youth fantasy novels. Much of Morgenstern's energy is spent on creating a gilded and elegant description of the circus, and how magic is used to enhance it's naturally marvelous qualities. There is so much delight and wonder that is produced for the crowds who attend the events and while many readers may still continue to read in order see the outcome between Celia and Marco's duel, I found myself drawn more to the intricacies of the world, and trying to discover how the magic is enacted. I myself became another onlooker in the crowd that was both mystified and intrigued by the use of magic, but unable to truly decern its mechanics. And I, like many of the rêveurs who become infatuated with the circus and all it entails, returned not to unlock it's mysteries or find a moral lesson within the story, but just to revel in the phenomenal setting in a circus of dreams.

I believe that, even if incorrect, I interpret Morgenstern's writing of the circus is to impress the idea of enjoying the wonders of the world, even if you cannot fully understand it. It is better to enjoy the mysteries of the magic rather than try to divine it's the origin or source. In a way, this book reminds me of "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick, which is half illustrated and half narratively written but captures a sense of mystical enchantment and awe in a similar fashion. So, even though I was relatively confused as to how the world and its characters should function within the confines of a magical duel, I found my true fondness for the work was the charming and enchanting magical descriptions of the circus itself.