Howl’s Moving Castle

The group opens the flower shop for business and begins a routine of cutting flowers from the Waste’s field to sell. Howl spends each morning in Wales courting Miss Angorian, having completely dropped Lettie. Sophie works in the flower shop serving people she “had known all her life” (333) but who don’t recognize her. When Howl isn’t courting or drawing the attention of female customers, he works in the yard on magical defenses against the Witch.

Sophie finds that she can keep the flowers fresh by talking to them. Though Sophie feels she should be happy, she is not and cannot figure out why. She considers visiting Martha but cannot bear the thought of Martha not recognizing her. When she tries spending time with Calcifer, he reminds her she should be working on breaking his contract, which she avoids thinking about because “she was sure that breaking it would be the end of both Howl and Calcifer” (337). She tries experimenting with crossbreeding flowers in the yard but accidentally blooms a mandrake root, the second to last sign of Howl’s impending curse.

While working in the shop one day, Sophie sees the turnip-faced scarecrow hopping along the street to the shop. She becomes frightened and repeats “We’re not here. Go away quickly!” (341). The scarecrow does just that. Later, Lettie’s dog-man comes into the shop. He briefly turns into a man and, through jumbled words, conveys to Sophie that he was the footman spelled to escort the Witch of the Waste on the day she cursed Sophie. Both he and Lettie know that Sophie is under a spell.

The castle door opens from Wales, and Miss Angorian steps cautiously inside. She admits that she encouraged Howl’s attention in the hopes of gaining insight into where her fiancé is. She begins exploring the castle’s rooms, annoying Sophie with her nosiness, and claims that Howl’s guitar is actually Ben Sullivan’s. Sophie, taking a cue from Howl and distrusting Miss Angorian because she doesn’t acknowledge Calcifer, forces Miss Angorian back through the door to Wales. 

Sophie’s bad mood continues. When Howl enters the flower shop, Sophie demands to know which suit he dyed black and has been wearing since the funeral. Howl takes the dye off one sleeve and Sophie recognizes that it is not the suit she accidentally put an attraction spell on. The dog-man enters; Sophie finally mentions that it is not an actual dog but a man under a curse. Howl is furious that she hadn’t told him before, but Sophie simply replies that he never asked. They bring the dog-man to Calcifer where, with Howl and Calcifer working together, they lift the curse from the dog. The man, whose most recent name was Percival, has lost much of his memory. Calcifer perceives Percival actually has some body parts from another man too.

Because Sophie is in such a bad mood, Howl sends her with weedkiller to the mansion to clear out some weeds. Percival goes with her. The mansion is grand but derelict and overgrown with weeds. The work calms Sophie. She questions Percival about his memory of the Witch. He reveals that the Witch came to him looking for information on Howl and was going to steal his thoughts, so he thought about Lettie in the hat shop instead. The Witch went to the hat shop and cursed Sophie, not knowing the two were sisters. Percival doesn’t remember how he knew Lettie nor what he knew of Howl. The Witch turned him into a dog after cursing Sophie. Percival then went to Mrs. Fairfax’s and was taken in there. He explains that Howl only came to see Lettie once he found out from Lettie that she and Sophie are sisters. Lettie sent Percival to find Sophie and keep her away from Howl.

Percival says he arrived too late—but Sophie cannot truthfully deny that she hasn’t fallen in love with Howl. She consoles herself by thinking that Howl doesn’t love her when she notices the scarecrow hopping toward them along the road to the mansion. Sophie spells him away again by repeating he should hop away until he does. When Sophie turns back to the mansion, she finds that it is no longer derelict but beautifully clean and reworked. She storms back through the door into the castle.

Sophie immediately yells at Howl for knowing that she’s been under a spell but never saying anything. Michael admits that he knows too, and while Howl has tried to lift the curse from her many times before, he “came to the conclusion that [Sophie] liked being in disguise” (369). Sophie is furious, refuses to speak to any of them, and decides to leave the castle entirely when Howl leaves for Wales and, she presumes, Miss Angorian.  

Howl returns from Wales at dawn on Midsummer Day morning, the day the Witch’s curse is to take effect on him. He is drunk, crashes into things, and wakes everyone up before disappearing into his bedroom. Sophie goes with Michael one last time to collect flowers, as she plans to leave the castle that day. Percival does not act quite as forgetful as before, but it seemed “as if he expected something to happen soon. It made Sophie wonder just how much in the power of the Witch he still was” (377).

While the men are busy in the shop, the castle door knocks, and once Calcifer confirms it is someone harmless from the mansion door Sophie opens it. Fanny, introducing herself as Mrs. Sacheverell Smith, enters. She immediately recognizes Sophie even though she sees Sophie as an old woman. Sophie dissuades Fanny’s idea of Howl being evil, realizing that “considering all Sophie had done to annoy him, he had been very good to her indeed” (381). Sophie feels guilty for thinking poorly of Fanny and never telling Fanny where she disappeared to.

Michael comes into the castle room with Martha, who also recognizes Sophie instantly and embraces her. Then, Lettie and Mrs. Fairfax come in with Percival. They are all sharing a meal when Miss Angorian enters through the Wales door. Sophie notices that she is very upset. She opens the door to the field of flowers and lets Miss Angorian explore out there until Howl wakes up.

Calcifer suddenly screams that the Witch of the Waste has found Megan’s family. Howl immediately runs downstairs and disappears through the Wales door. Sophie, followed by the others, goes to Howl’s bedroom to watch out of the window. Megan, Neil, and Mari are in the backyard with the Witch. Howl sprints into the yard and chases the Witch over the fence, where they both disappear from view.

Downstairs, Lettie opens the door to the field of flowers and finds the scarecrow outside. Calcifer claims it is harmless, and Mrs. Fairfax says that it is a “magician’s golem” come to relay a message. Just then, Calcifer's flame shrinks, and the Witch’s voice sounds through the castle. Addressing Michael, the Witch says they “fell for my decoy. I now have the woman called Lily Angorian in my fortress in the Waste” (397). She will only release Miss Angorian if Howl comes for her.

Sophie takes a pair of seven-league boots, runs through the flower shop, and steps until she is in the dry, hot, desert Waste, using her walking stick to come to a stop. She takes off the boots when she finds the Witch’s fortress. Two page boys escort her inside to a central room where the Witch, now appearing as an abnormally tall blonde woman, waits. Sophie advances on her, brandishing her walking stick, which makes the Witch step back. The page boys turn into gloop that sticks Sophie to the walls. The Witch calls forward a throne from the fire at the back of the room; in it sits a headless Prince Justin. The Witch explains that the man is actually Justin and Wizard Suliman combined. She plans to put Howl’s head on the body, make it the new King of Ingary and herself the Queen. To control Howl, she and her fire demon will take control of Calcifer.

Despite Sophie’s fear, she notes that the Witch’s age of over a century “has caught up with her” (407). A portion of the fortress’s wall explodes, revealing the scarecrow. While the Witch and scarecrow battle with magic, Sophie waves her stick over the gloop holding her in place, instinctually using magic to begin freeing herself. Howl appears, utters a long indistinguishable word, fills the fortress with powerful magic, and the Witch collapses into a pile of bones. He was able to defeat her as she is no longer connected to her fire demon. The scarecrow explains that the Wizard Suliman used the last of his magic to spell the scarecrow to find the scattered parts of his body.

Howl reveals that Miss Angorian is the Witch’s fire demon. Because Sophie let her into the castle and she touched the guitar, she can embody the guitar and enter the castle. Howl conjures a strong wind that allows them to run quickly back to the field of flowers. As they run in the wind, Howl speaks truthfully about his plans to confront the Witch and save Prince Justin. The last part of the curse is fulfilled.

At the sight of Howl and Sophie inside the castle, the guitar turns into Miss Angorian. She takes Calcifer from the hearth in one hand and squeezes, commanding Calcifer to help her control Howl. Howl crashes to the floor unconscious. Sophie commands her walking stick to beat Miss Angorian, causing Miss Angorian to drop Calcifer. Sophie picks him up and feels “that the dark lump of Howl’s heart was only beating very faintly between her fingers” (420). Sophie realizes that Howl gave Calcifer his heart as part of their contract and to keep Calcifer alive. Miss Angorian tries to escape through the door, but the scarecrow is there, blocking her way, with Prince Justin’s body over its shoulders.

Sophie tells Calcifer she must break his contract. He reassures her he won’t be killed by it since she has the power to talk life into things. Sophie commands, “’Then have another thousand years!’” (422) as she separates Howl’s heart from Calcifer’s flame. Calcifer is a star again, freed. Sophie pushes Howl’s heart back into his chest. As she does so, she returns to her normal age.

Howl stands up and uses a powerful spell on Miss Angorian that separates her from the Witch’s heart, which appears in Howl’s hands. Howl crushes it between his palms and Miss Angorian disappears. Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin return to their normal bodies.

Howl and Sophie are too entranced by one another to notice those around them. Howl proposes that they live together, happy and in love: “Sophie and Howl were holding one another’s hands and smiling and smiling, quite unable to stop” (428). Calcifer returns briefly to the fireplace, noting that he can come and go from now on.