54 pages • 1 hour read
Diana Wynne JonesCastle in the Air
Diana Wynne JonesFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1990A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Castle in the Air
The titular castle in the air appears in different guises throughout the book, first as a metaphor and then as a distant image in the clouds, before finally becoming a real and immediate setting. This overall arc symbolizes Abdullah’s journey as he gradually moves toward making his dreams a tangible reality.
The image is introduced on the second page to describe Abdullah’s daydreams: “It was a complete castle in the air and Abdullah knew it” (10). This is a reference both to the book’s title and to the common idiomatic expression “to build castles in the air,” meaning to entertain an improbable or unlikely dream or ambition. The metaphor of the castle reflects the grandeur of his daydreams, while the detail that it is up “in the air” shows that his daydreams are far removed from his reality, suggesting that they are hollow and insubstantial. The metaphor shows Abdullah’s relationship to Navigating the Lines between Fiction and Reality: He knows the difference, but prefers to stay in a fictional world rather than seek to change his reality.
When a literal castle in the air appears later, this signifies that Abdullah’s dreams are closer to coming true. However, it is still far off, and Abdullah believes it is only made of clouds. His quest seems hopeless at this point, as he does not know where Flower-in-the-Night is or how to get to her. Nevertheless, he is struck by the castle’s incredible beauty, symbolizing the ideal future he wants with her.
Once he and Sophie make it into the castle, he is immersed in the world of his dreams as he is reunited with Flower-in-the-Night and they confess their love. This gives him the feeling of “walking on air” (281): The castle’s height becomes a symbol of his heightened emotion and symbolizes that his unity with Flower-in-the-Night represents a peak experience.
The castle itself actually belongs to Sophie and Howl, tying Castle in the Air and Howl’s Moving Castle together. Sophie is perturbed that it is all reshaped and unrecognizable, mirroring how her reality has been messed with by Hasruel. This also suggests that real life is different and unpredictable compared to Abdullah’s daydreams. The restoration of the castle to its normal shape and replacement of it on the earth signifies that normality has been restored—their adventures are over, so they can live out their happy endings in the real world. In the end, Abdullah does not actually want a castle: He and Flower-in-the-Night get a cottage instead, showing that he does not want grandeur, just a domestic life with her.
The Prophecies
The prophecies are motifs that haunt Abdullah throughout his quest to confront Personal Agency Versus Fate in a world where bigger forces are at play. They create a sense of mystery and suspense. The prophecy about Abdullah is not revealed immediately, and even when it is, it is not clear how it will materialize. Similarly, the prophecy about Flower-in-the-Night represents a seemingly impossible conundrum: She is destined to marry Abdullah as he is the first man she saw besides her father, but she is kidnapped with no hope of rescue, as no one else believes Abdullah’s story.
The prophecies suggest that Abdullah and other characters have a fixed destiny, which Abdullah struggles with. Sometimes, the prophecies cause Abdullah to have a passive or relaxed attitude, as he feels fate will materialize either way: He doesn’t bother learning about his own prophecy, and he assumes the one about Flower-in-the-Night means he is safe. Sometimes they worry him, or he feels frustrated at the idea that fate is in charge, causing him to despair or self-sabotage as he gives in to the idea that prophecies are inevitable and he has no say on how they happen. However, ultimately, he realizes that there are multiple ways they can come true, which means his actions do matter after all.
Abdullah’s realization of the different possible interpretations of the prophecies also offers comedy through the contrast of his possible fates: It could mean all his dreams will come true, or that he will die a horrible but cartoonish death impaled on a spike. The Sultan’s engagement with the prophecies also creates comedy, as he quickly comes up with a practical plan to ensure they come true in a way that suits him, unperturbed by the idea of fate. This reflects his character, as he assumes he can control everything, including other people (such as his daughter) and even fate itself. This contrasts with Abdullah’s attitude, as even though Flower-in-the-Night should marry Abdullah according to the prophecy, he still wants her to choose.
Turning Into Toads
The genie turns two bandits into toads when he first emerges to express his rage at being trapped, and threatens Abdullah with the same fate if he displeases him. The threat of being turned into a toad creates a humorous jeopardy while maintaining the book’s light-hearted tone. It shows the genie’s power and frustration through a tongue-in-cheek reference to a classic fairytale trope, which becomes a motif.
When Abdullah himself becomes a toad, the third-person limited perspective narration reflects this: He can only observe the things around at his eye level, such as the enormous flowers, and his thought-processes become simpler and slower, so the narration slows down and narrows in its scope. This creates suspense at his fate but also comedy at his strange perspective and at his horror when he sees the soldier and realizes what has happened.
Abdullah is extremely distressed at the experience, hating this new form, which feels alien to him. This gives him a greater sympathy with the two bandits and a determination to turn them back no matter what, offering a comedic example of The Importance of Learning from Experience. Even if they risk suffering in their human forms, he thinks they are entitled to exist in their original forms. The reveal that the genie is actually Howl explains his rage and shows that his propensity to turn people into toads reflects his own frustration at being trapped in a different form. In his confrontation with Hasruel he gains a greater self-awareness, recognizing the childishness of his behavior.
Ultimately, the two bandits are revealed to have been angels anyway. The journey of these two toads is an example of how Diana Wynne Jones ties together the whole plot, reincorporating even small details. They are glad to return to their immortal forms, offering a happy ending, as everyone is restored to their true self.
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