Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Alexandra Maropakis Dueling Protagonists Hayao Miyazaki has fathered many of the most influenal animated films of our century, encompassing themes of humanity, harmony with nature, and the struggle of staying true to oneself in the face of unfathomable adversity. Many of his films feature young girls or women as their protag- onists—e.g., Satsuki in My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Ser- vice (1989), Chihiro in Spirited Away (2001)—each bearing the weight of a heavy burden as they navigate their lives amidst a new unknown. However, when one watches Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), it is dubious as to who the main character is. Sophie, a humble milliner and the eldest of three sisters growing up in the midst of endless war? Or Howl, whimsical, self-centered wizard prodigy and host to the fire demon Calcifer? In his dissertaon on Jungian individuaon in this film, Marn (2015) makes it increasingly clear that he regards Howl as the main character. I beg to differ. From my view- point, Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) is not predominantly Howl’s story, but Sophie’s, though Howl plays a large role in it. Thus I here provide a con- trast to Marn’s viewpoint that Sophie completes Howl’s individuaon by acng as the feminine half of his masculine psyche. I use social role theory and Van Gennep’s rites of passage as a vehicle. Individuaon & Related Theories Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) is a tale of Sophie’s individuaon described via the interplay between her persona and shadow as expressed through the archetypal dance of the anima and animus. Her fluctuang age is used as a metaphor for indecisiveness and resistance in ‘growing up’ and expressing herself. The method of this individuaon can be dually described as a rite of passage, simultaneously influenced by Sophie’s role in her society. Individuaon: inner Self develops out of undifferenated unconscious to integrate the components of one’s immature psyche and life experiences into a truer, more whole Self via the interplay of classic Jungian archetypes: persona, shadow, anima/ animus, and Self. Anima/animus: unconscious feminine and masculine sides of men and women, re- specvely. The play of gender is oſten a vehicle for the process of individuaon. Persona: reflecon on ‘who I present myself to be,’ although one can come to believe that is who they are. Shadow: reflecon on ‘who I encounter in opposion to’ the Persona; deeper, unre- solved conflicts oſten transferred onto others. Self: sits at center of the psyche and represents not only the truer self—not-yet-re- alized core identy—but the journey taken to arrive there. Driving force behind be- haviors and movates oscillaon between shadow and persona. In engaging with the shadow, we may individuate into a truer Self. Van Gennep’s Rites of Passage: “system of social transformaon mediang role changes in a community” (Hensley, 2019, p. 27), contribung to the “development of character but also to the strengthening of identy” (p. 34). Three stages: pre-lim- inal, liminal, and post-liminal. Post-liminal acceptance of a new role and subsequent incorporaon of it into one’s identy is not guaranteed. Social Role Theory: as people enter new roles, they modify their behavior accord- ingly to conform to socially accepted role expectaons. Roles can serve as a bridge between the individual and society. Marn’s Perspecve (2015) Marn uses a hermeneuc methodology based on Jung’s method of dream am- plificaon to interpret Howl’s individuaon process, recognizing Sophie’s instru- mental role in Howl’s individuaon through her contribuon to the archetypal interplay of the anima and animus. He regards Howl as the hyper-masculine and Sophie as the hyper-feminine. His objecve is to idenfy aspects of the interplay between Howl’s anima and animus that may shed light on the masculine and fem- inine tasks of individuaon that challenge individuals in real life (p. 105). He does this via classic Jungian objecve amplificaon. Posits that Howl and Sophie can be considered the “masculine and feminine aspects of one psyche” (p. 302-303). A predominantly patriarchal society can influence the youth to suppress their feminine par- ality in a self-destrucve manner. Depicts a new way in which the masculine and feminine co-exist to establish a dynamic bal- ance within the psyche. This heals and balances the “ego-consciousness and unconscious” (p. 302). Portrays a way to incorporate one’s core femininity to individuate all sides of one’s Self to become a truer Self. A Different Perspecve: Sophie’s Story THE DEVELOPMENTAL PARADOX Sophie and Howl are developmental paradoxes. While So- phie begins the film much too mature, when she is turned into an old lady, she is unexpectedly allowed to act more ‘childlike.’ On the other hand, Howl, inially a puer æternus, wields incredible power, but easily regresses into infanle tan- trums, keeping him trapped in an eternal childhood. They manage a dynamic balance by the end of the film, but while Howl’s interacons with Sophie are nearly fundamental to his passage into adulthood, one could ar- gue Sophie completes this transion with minimal input from Howl. Neverthe- less, Howl and Sophie’s conflicng personalies are the catalyst Sophie needed to move forward in a world warring to keep her in place. THE PRE-LIMINAL Sophie begins the film in a strange phase of development, where she has fully em- braced adult responsibilies despite technically being on the cusp of adulthood, only being 18 years old. This is expressed through a conflict of the persona and shadow. As the eldest sister, her father’s tradion has been leſt to her. Even aſter her inial encounter with Howl, a glimpse into the world of the Magician, she du- fully returns home with lile thought of him. The film’s beginning is filled with characters telling Sophie about how she should be living her life; yet, Sophie is not provided with an alternave unl her meeng with Howl. When the Witch of the Waste becomes jealous of Sophie’s apparent relaonship with Howl and curses her into a 90-year-old woman, Sophie takes it in stride and humor: “This isn’t so bad now, is it? You’re sll in good shape, and your clothes finally suit you,” she says. The Persona is finally capturing the Self. Here, Sophie is primarily pre-liminal, regardless of the literal transformaon in her change of age, hair color (brown to silver), and dress color (green to blue). She ap- pears to accept her curse and seems calm about it. Sll, she makes the journey to Howl. Why? Sophie’s journey to Howl is both physical and psychological. He is a wizard who may be able to absolve her of her curse; but he is also the person who iniated her transion into the liminal phase. Howl fosters the inklings of a journey to discover ‘is this who I am meant to be?’ and ‘what could I become?’ Here, Sophie is cast out of the pre-liminal. Northeastern University Psychological Humanies Research Group References Hensley, N. (2019). Passages and pivot points: Experience and educaon as rites of passage. JCT: Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 34(4), 27–37. Marn, D. (2015). Individuaon in Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) [Dissertaon]. Saybrook University. Miyazaki, H. (2004). Howl’s moving castle. Studio Ghibli; Toho. Newman, B. M. & Newman, P. R. (2016). Theories of human development (2 ed). Psychology Press. CAST OUT INTO THE LIMINAL While Sophie begins her journey toward Howl’s castle in the pre-liminal, her journey takes place in the liminal. When she enters his castle and begins to take care of Markl and Calcifer, she embraces the work of the liminal phase. At this stage in the liminal, where Sophie literally transforms from an awkward semi-adulthood into an adulthood/ elderliness, Sophie takes on a new set of roles as Howl and Markl’s companion that be- comes part of her core self. She incorporates this new role of ‘being old’ into her very identy, leng herself be called ‘granny’ and saying things like "I’m too old for this!" Even at the end of the film, when she has reverted back into being a young woman, the lile old lady she once was is sll in her—sll Sophie, in all her fussing and care for oth- ers, sll the person she became along the journey, and in her silver hair. This is a kind of individuaon. Yet, there is more nuance to this individuaon: what if she wanted to be a child, but was responsible and grown-up inside? In her new old age, Sophie is also allowed to be more childlike; no longer is she the meek milliner that her sisters know, but a bold woman who stands up for herself against Howl and even Howl’s mentor, Madam Suliman, with lile fear of the consequences. She bravely drives a 'thopter from Madam Suliman’s palace back to Howl’s castle, where she realizes Howl’s life is at stake and takes it upon herself to journey into the unknown, into the darkness that is consuming his heart and consciousness, and save him. Miyazaki’s portrayal of Sophie at such a crical age in her life holds potenal for many diverging paths. The path I consider is thus: the archetypal (and alchemical) interplay of anima/animus and persona/shadow is reflected in Sophie’s relaonship with Howl and with herself. She showcases a fierce love in her care of Howl and his companions that exemplifies the unconscious debate between her femininity and animus, which are un- balanced as a result of her internal conflict. Coincidentally, when Sophie is granted an otherwise impossible opportunity of running away from herself and her life, she un- wingly individuates into a truer self at the end of her journey through integraon of her animus. THE POST-LIMINAL: A TRUER SELF In some scenes, Sophie is a young woman with silver hair; in oth- ers, she is a hunched, wrinkled old woman. Notably, she is only young when she is with Howl, feeling a strong emoonal con- necon, such as when Howl giſts her a beauful scene from his childhood and they frolic through the flowered fields. This deepens Sophie’s liminal journey, oscillang constantly between a stagnant adulthood and a bounful childhood. She finally lets go of her Persona of adult responsibilies when she replaces Howl’s heart and saves his life, turning young for the final me. This literal transion from old to young represents Sophie’s passage from liminal to post-liminal. She retains adult responsibilies, but takes on a new responsibility as well: the joint fostering of posive change and young love. Throughout the progression of the conflict of persona/ shadow and anima/animus, Howl and Sophie take steps in different direcons to meet in the middle. The funda- mental force behind the development of their Selves is their love for each other, which helps change them into the people they desired and needed to be. The journey they took to individuate revealed who they were truly becoming inside all along.