Plot Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus tells the story of two magicians, Celia and Marco, who are sworn into a competition against each other by their mentors, who are former magicians. In a world where magic is all too real, both Celia and Marco started training at a young age to defeat their mystery opponent, only for them to find out it is the two of them. However, the only way for someone to win is for the other to perish. The venue for this competition is unlike anyone has ever seen, a circus that is only open at night and appears without any warning. Conflict starts to occur when the two young magicians start to develop feelings for one another and not only them, but the whole circus and everyone in it are at risk for the consequences
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Other than the story taking place in the circus, it mainly stays within London, England. The connection the Night Circus has on the characters is pretty strong, especially for Celia and Marco. For the two of them, the circus can be compared to a battle arena where they have to battle each other to the death or a chess board, decorated in nothing but black and white, and they are the pieces being told where to go and what to do by their mentors. To the rest of the characters, the circus is basically their home. Two of the main characters were even born and raised within the circus. London during the late 1800s to early 1900s was also very diverse in the people who lived there, which is important to the story because the performers in the circus all originate from different places but are able to call London, and the circus, their home. The setting is so effective in supporting the ideas in the novel as a whole because this is where the major conflict in the story is started and resolved, with it being the competition between Celia and Marco and how it could potentially put their friends in harm’s way. The story is best told in this setting because as the connection between Marco and Celia grows, so does the circus. The two keep coming up with and creating attractions that are gifts for each other. An example of this is when …show more content…
One of those characters being Bailey, a young boy who is uncertain of his future only to learn that he wants to be with the circus more than anything, “It is only then that Bailey realizes the scope of the commitment he is being asked for. It is not the handful of years committed to Harvard. It is he thinks, an even greater commitment than inheriting responsibility for the family farm… He thinks of a litany of questions but none of them truly matter. He knows his answer already. His choice was made when he was ten years old, under a different tree, bound up in acorns and dares and a single white glove. He will always choose the circus” (Morgenstern 480-481). The title does have literal significance with it, again, being the main setting of the story and how the circus is only open at night. The Night Circus itself does not make an appearance in the book, although the circus’ true name is mentioned numerous times along with the warning that it is only open at night and closes at dusk. Although it does not have a huge connection with the theme of the novel, the title does showcase the circus as an important part of the story by making it the first thing the reader not only reads but notices when they
Other than the story taking place in the circus, it mainly stays within London, England. The connection the Night Circus has on the characters is pretty strong, especially for Celia and Marco. For the two of them, the circus can be compared to a battle arena where they have to battle each other to the death or a chess board, decorated in nothing but black and white, and they are the pieces being told where to go and what to do by their mentors. To the rest of the characters, the circus is basically their home. Two of the main characters were even born and raised within the circus. London during the late 1800s to early 1900s was also very diverse in the people who lived there, which is important to the story because the performers in the circus all originate from different places but are able to call London, and the circus, their home. The setting is so effective in supporting the ideas in the novel as a whole because this is where the major conflict in the story is started and resolved, with it being the competition between Celia and Marco and how it could potentially put their friends in harm’s way. The story is best told in this setting because as the connection between Marco and Celia grows, so does the circus. The two keep coming up with and creating attractions that are gifts for each other. An example of this is when …show more content…
One of those characters being Bailey, a young boy who is uncertain of his future only to learn that he wants to be with the circus more than anything, “It is only then that Bailey realizes the scope of the commitment he is being asked for. It is not the handful of years committed to Harvard. It is he thinks, an even greater commitment than inheriting responsibility for the family farm… He thinks of a litany of questions but none of them truly matter. He knows his answer already. His choice was made when he was ten years old, under a different tree, bound up in acorns and dares and a single white glove. He will always choose the circus” (Morgenstern 480-481). The title does have literal significance with it, again, being the main setting of the story and how the circus is only open at night. The Night Circus itself does not make an appearance in the book, although the circus’ true name is mentioned numerous times along with the warning that it is only open at night and closes at dusk. Although it does not have a huge connection with the theme of the novel, the title does showcase the circus as an important part of the story by making it the first thing the reader not only reads but notices when they