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The Night Circus, Love and Abuse

   The two main characters of The Night Circus are extremely interesting cases of very different childhoods resulting in a similar adulthood. Celia Bowen, after having being dubbed a girl of the devil by her mother is crudely taught magic by her father and paraded around until she is no longer young and cute. After she is older her father stops teaching her so regularly and commonly abandons or forgets her in different places that they stay in. He demands that she use magic for every mundane or simple test -no matter how small- so that she can keep up her magic. In order to teach her healing magic he slices her finger tips over and even breaks her hand. He forces her to work at a job she doesn't like and is continuously judging her performance and actions regarding her "game" with Marco. Marco, on the other hand, was an orphan who was adopted by a magician specifically for the purpose of training him so he can compete in and win this "game" with Celia. Marco is kept from any outside contact for the better part of his child hood, and is made to only study and work. His adoptive teacher does not act as a father at all and barely ever talks to Marco other than to teach and to tell him to help with his errands.  Once Marco is 18 his teacher leaves him in his apartment and never comes back. Not knowing what this game is or what he's supposed to do now, he waits patiently and eventually summons his teacher for clarity and his opinion on how Marco is doing with his magic. His teacher simply tells him that he is doing fine and that he should never summon him again. 
Both end up meeting and, (ignoring the fact that they fall in love), they both agree to rebel against and quit the game that their abusive caretakers made them play. Marco’s caretaker was rich and brilliant while Celia’s father was talented and present- however both were extremely abusive in their care and never once thought of the child in their care as a separate person with their own wishes. 

Whats really interesting is that early on, we learn that Celia’s father and Marco’s caretaker have both played this game many times before (with Celia’s rather having won most of them but lost the most recent game). This alludes to the idea that both parties have been and remain abusive people. Even though they are very different, live extremely different lives, and highly disapprove of each other, they both agree - over and over again - to participate in this game.  Over all a metaphor for abusive parents and their repetitive and often unchanging behaviors.

                                            -Bridgette Olavage

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