The Night Circus as a young adult novel mirrors the
confusion of Marco and Celia. They are thrust into a competition they don’t
understand. They don’t know the rules, who their competitors are, or what they
are supposed to do. This mirrors a young adult moving into teen years and
beyond. The transition between child and young adult. Like children today,
Marco and Celia struggle to find their own way, their own path different from their
mentors. Sometimes that means going against their wishes. It tends to be easier
in real life, when you aren’t eternally bound to a magical competition that won’t
end until one of you is dead. And you’re in love with the person you’re
supposed to kill. But in the end, despite this it ends in a stalemate, with
both Celia and Marco becoming spirits bound to the circus, able to be happy
together for eternity.
It also deals with hard decisions, and encourages the
reader to not settle for the obvious solutions. The competition won’t end until
one of them is dead, and the circus has the possibility of going with them. At
least that what it looks like on the surface. They follow their hearts. Celia tells
Marco she wants to kill herself so he can be the victor. Marco plans to trap
himself in a cauldron in the circus courtyard, not killing him but ending the
game. But Celia reaches for Marco’s hand and de-atomizes both of them. In a
sense, they found their own loophole, able to be together forever. Plus, in the
process neither of the mentors, Hector or Alexander come out victorious. It
gives them what they deserve for sacrificing two children for the sake of
bragging rights. I believe this is the strongest lesson in The Night Circus. To
not settle, no matter how much the odds seem stacked against you.
I might also add, because I don’t want to leave it
out, that itt also gives a small warning of the dangers of jealousy.
Particularly when Isobel grows jealous when Marco falls in love with Celia and
proceeds to destroy her own spell that pretty much results in the death of Herr
Thiessen by Chandresh.
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