Inherited Magic

Dustfinger and Farid left their hiding place to meet Capricorn’s maid named Resa. She didn’t always play the part of Capricorn’s maid for she was taken out of the book Inkheart by Darius. Unfortunately he brought Resa out incorrectly for she came without her voice. Dustfinger and Resa communicated by writing. Dustfinger asked her if she had seen a copy of the book Inkheart. Even though she didn’t know where the copy was, she offered to search for it. Dustfinger and Farid returned to their hiding place, where they saw Mo’s car pass by. They dashed after it and they reached the car. Elinor and Mo were furious at Dustfinger for he made their most precious things be taken away by Capricorn. After a tense conversation, Dustfinger ordered Farid to tie up Mo and Elinor. That night, Dustfinger left to see Resa again, but when he was in Resa’s room Basta, Flatnose, and Mortola were waiting for him.  Farid saw that Dustfinger hadn’t arrived so he untied Elinor and Mo and departed with Gwin to search for his “master”. Mo gave him a letter so that he could give it to Meggie if he had a chance.

Meanwhile, Meggie and Fengolio arrived at Capricorn’s Church. Fengolio had the same reaction to Capricorn as when he first saw Basta. Capricorn saw Fengolio as an ordinary man, but when he said one of Capricorn’s deepest secret, he was shocked and knew that he was the author of his story. Soon he ordered Flatnose to lock Meggie and Fengolio in Darius’ old room. Meggie couldn’t sleep that night, so she decided to read Peter Pan, all of a sudden she saw a light in the room, it was Tinker Bell! She had read her out of the story; 

Basta came inside because of the noise that they made, and he couldn’t believe his eyes, he captured the fairy and took Meggie to see Capricorn. Meggie was entering the church and she saw Dustfinger and a maid hanging from the ceiling in nets; Capricorn was also amazed at Meggie’s power, so he jumped to the conclusion that she could bring his friend from the book. Basta returned Meggie to the room. Fengolio was worried about her, Meggie asked Fengolio if he knew any character that Capricorn will like to bring so he said maybe the Shadow, an immortal character that is a devil which is able to control anybody with fear. Meggie got scared about the friend that Capricorn wanted to bring. Sunrise arrived, Fengolio asked Meggie to make sure that after she read to Mortola, the book that Darius gave her, to ask for the character she pulled out back; Mortola arrived and Meggie needed to read the book Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Anderson, she read the story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier when all of a sudden, a soldier popped out. Magpie reached for it faster than Meggie. Meggie asked if she could have the soldier and she agreed but after she showed it to Capricorn. After Magpie left, Meggie saw something crawling up the window, it was Gwin, with a paper rolled up in his collar.  It was from Mo she knew because of the Elvish writing, their secret language. Meggie ripped out a page from the book and answered him with a pencil that Fengolio gave to her. She gave bread to Gwin and let him go.

That morning, Dustfinger and Resa were taken to the crypt by Capricorn’s orders, it was terrifying down there, so Resa wrote down a story and Dustfinger finished it; Resa was

interested in Silvertongue and Meggie but Dustfinger didn’t tell her the truth about them.  Farid returned with Gwin and Mo was really happy, Farid gave Mortimer the letter that Meggie had wrote and he was so happy that Meggie had the same power as he.  Then Farid also gave him some uniforms he had stolen and some guns, so that they could go save Meggie and Dustfinger. Fengolio made a deal with Basta, if he brought him paper and a pen, he would write Basta a spell so he could put Mortola to sleep and get his keys back, Basta agreed. Meggie couldn’t sleep she keep thinking about the maid she saw in the net, it seemed to be her mother but with dark hair because of the time she had spent in that village. The name was pretty similar, they called her Resa and her mother’s name was TeResa.  Fengolio wrote a happy ending for the soldier and to return him to his book, Meggie read it and it worked! The soldier returned to his story, Fengolio’s and Mo’s plan had worked. Immediately Fengolio started to write. Mo, Elinor and Farid went to the village but their attempt to save Meggie and Dustfinger was useless. Everybody went to sleep except Elinor she wrote a note on Mo’s hand and drove to search for the police.

There was a quote in the book with which I had an immediate connection, it was when Elinor was getting strength to go save Meggie:

“Whatever’s happened to her father, you must help the girl – get her out of this thrice-accursed village… If you don’t, she’ll end up as one of those timid maidservants who scarcely dare to raise their heads and whose only purpose is to clean and cook for their ghastly master” (Funke, 426)

This quote made me remember of Syria and the past since women didn’t have rights and they were used for everything that man wanted. Men were the central figure of society and the ones who made decisions. In Capricorn’s village, we have the same circumstance since women did as men said and they weren’t allowed to protest or raise up their heads at a male presence or they will suffer the consequences which included physical pain. Like the maid, Resa, who was hanging from the net in the ceiling.  Also, in Capricorn’s village, women were treated as objects and men thought that they were useless for everything except cooking and cleaning, just like now a days Syria. It is important to make sure that men and women are all the same and need to have the same respect towards each other, and value women as a person not an object.

There was a quote in the book which made me think about it strongly, it was when Capricorn was talking to Fengolio about family:

“With a satisfied smile, Capricorn puts his hands in his pants pockets. ‘Yes, you all love something, softhearted as you are,’ he said. ‘Children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, parents, dogs, cats, canary birds … There are no exceptions: farmers, shopkeepers, even policemen have families or at least keep a dog… He’ll come here even though he knows I won’t let him go again, any more than I will let his daughter go. He’ll come all the same. Isn’t this world an amazing place?’” (Funke, 341)

  Family is a group people who give you unconditional love composed by animals and humans; they always demonstrate their love and affection. Family is willing to sacrifice their life and freedom for you. Ever since you were born they support your ideas and your thoughts, they are with you in the saddest moments and in the happiest ones. They care for you that is why it is important to value every moment you have with them for you don’t know when they will go.

Family: 

“a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for”  

  (Dictionary.com)

Through the book, Cornelia Funke is trying to communicate us that you need to be careful with the people that you trust for they can turn against you. People betray you because they find better deals in other places or they are threatened and forced to turn against you. You should be careful who you trust and what you trust in that person for once you said something they might change the way they look at you.

Works Cited

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.

Meeting the author

They arrived at a hut on top of a hill where they passed the night. Basta and Flatnose find them, but luckily Dustfinger held the dogs back and Mo was able to beat them even though a dog bit him. When they arrived at the coast, Elinor invited everyone to eat at the finest hotel in town.  Meanwhile, Dustfinger and Farid disappeared. Elinor gave Meggie two books and the address of a man named Fengolio before she went back home. When they were walking in the street, Meggie found Farid and Dustfinger juggling to earn some money. They arrived at Fengolio’s house which turned out to be the author of Inkheart. Meggie played with Fengolio’s grandsons named, Pippo, Rico and Paula. It didn’t take Fengolio much time to believe that Mo is able to take character out of a book and that he took three people from

the book.  They left to find Dustfinger.  Meggie told Dustfinger that he dies in the end of the story but he still wanted to return so he ran and Fengolio was never able to talk to him.  Fengolio gave Mo an apartment to stay at. Elinor arrived home but she was feeling strange.  When Elinor entered her library, the books were on the floor with mud all around them. She went to the other room and found a Red Rooster hanging from the door and all her books burned outside. Elinor called Mo and desperately asks him to pick her up at the airport. Mo left immediately. Meggie tried to go behind but she couldn’t so she sat down on a bench in front of the Memorial place. She found a very hungry kitty so he took the kitty to the apartment and gave him some food. While she was in there, Pippo was outside and knocked on the door various times. Meggie finally opened the door and found Basta and Flatnose there holding Pippo. They took Pippo and Meggie to Fengolio’s house to search for the book. Even though, Capricorns man couldn’t read or write, Basta knew how to read his own name and the two first letters of Inkeart. Fengolio was amazed for he had seen his best characters, Basta and Flatnose, in real life. They took Fengolio and Meggie back to Capricorn’s village but before they left, they went to the apartment set the cat free. They left a note on the desk which said “Basta”. Dustfinger was still with Farid but he wanted to get rid of him, so he agreed to take him to Capricorn’s village, this time he knew he was safe for he told Basta where Mo was. When Meggie and Fengolio arrived, Capricorn’s mom Mortola also known as Magpie received she was in charge until Capricorn returned, she talked harshly to Basta since his job was poorly done. Mortola herself locked up Meggie and Fengolio.

There was a quote in the book that got my attention when Meggie was seeing the other people’s actions and thinking about them and relating them to Capricorn:

“Even the most harmless things seem to be casting suspicious shadows. A woman smiled at Meggie, then stood looking at the bloody display in a butcher’s window. A man pulled a child along after him so impatiently that the little boy stumbled and cried as he rubbed his grazed knee. And why was that man’s jacket bulging over his belt? Was he carrying a knife, like Basta? ”  (Funke, 228)

I can infer that Maggie is traumatized by all she had seen in Capricorn’s village; the demon statues, Basta’s knife on her father’s neck, the way they were treated and the darkness that the air brought tormenting her thoughts. That is why in the real world Meggie is taking everything the wrong way and the normal things making them a big deal. I can also infer that Meggie has also changed her way of viewing the world now she has become more observant. She pays much more attention to the little details. Meggie now sees the world in a different perspective because she relates everything to Capricorn.   She makes sure she is more kind and nice with other people or animals. Just like when she was with the cat and gave him food and took care of him.

There was also another quote in the book that got my attention; it is when Dustfinger was talking to Mo,

“‘Don’t you dare tell that man about me!’ he said. ‘I don’t want to see him. I’ll wait in the car. I only want to know if he has a copy of the book, understand?’… Dustfinger inspected his reddened fingers and felt the taut skin. ‘He might tell me how the story ends,’ he murmured.” (Funke, 243)

This quote made me think a lot for I had many questions. Why doesn’t Dustfinger want to

know how the book ends? When a character is pulled out of the book, like Dustfinger, does he disappear from the story? What happens to the story line when main characters are missing? What if a new character comes into the story, just like Meggie’s mom, what happens to them? I think that maybe Dustfinger doesn’t want to know his end because no one knows their end, or when it’s going to happen. You don’t know how your story will end neither will Dustfinger. I think that when a character is pulled out of the story the place stays frozen and no one moves because there is a character missing.

One of the themes that is presented in Inkheart is memories and events of the past. That is hold on to people that make them who they are. Cornelia Funke through the characters has transmitted this theme, like with Mo. When he fights against evil forces to obtain the book of Inkheart so that he could read the book out loud and try to find his love back. It is important to keep the past experiences with us for they prepare us for the future and keep us close to the people we love.

Capricorn’s Village

Dustfinger took Elinor and Meggie to Capricorn’s Village, where Basta, one of Capricorn’s armed men took them to Capricorn.  Capricorn was a very pale man with skin tightly stretched over his bones. He pulled the book away and sent Elinor and Meggie to the same dungeon where Mo was. Mo thought it was time that Meggie knew the truth about her mother, the book and his talents. He began to tell about a dark night he was reading

Inkheart out loud when all of a sudden Capricorn, Dustfinger, Basta and a sword popped out of the book he was reading. Mo got the sword that fell to the floor and kicked the characters out of the house. Then he ran to Meggie and he realized that his wife had disappeared. Since then and because of this talent or spell he would never read out loud to Meggie. Basta took them to a church where Capricorn transformed it into a place meant for meetings and rituals full of demons statues. It was the same color red as Capricorn’s cape and clothing.   This was where he destroyed all copies of the Inkheart book. Capricorn called Mo Silvertongue and ordered him to read out loud from Treasure Island. While he was reading coins started to fill the church and everyone was amazed.  Then he asked him to read Tales from the Thousand and One Nights, and instead of the treasure and jewels he expected to come out, a boy appeared. The boy, Farid, looked a little bit older than Meggie. Dustfinger was mad with Capricorn because he broke their deal to return Dustfinger to the story book, so he decided to help Mo, Meggie and Elinor to escape with Farid in a car. The car crashed and everyone walked away heading toward the coast and hiding from Capricorn’s men.

There was a quote in the book that got my attention. It was when Mo read the second book Capricorn gave him, Tales from the Thousand and One Nights and Meggie analyzed what she felt while Mo was reading:

“There was no smell of salt and rum when Mo began reading this time. The air in Capricorn’s church grew hot. Meggie’s eyes began to burn, and when she rubbed them she found sand sticking to her knuckles.” (Funke, 180)

When you are reading a book and the book makes you think you are in the story, you can tell it is a good one.  Besides transporting you to the story, you are also able to smell the place, picture the place and feel the air. This is because of the descriptive language that the author uses, making an enjoyable book to read. Books can teach you many things and prepare you for the future with their theme and message sent through the story. Also, if you have an appropriate book, it is able to change your life, the way you see other people or your morals.  It is important to value the message of the book and apply them in our daily life.

There was also a quote that got my attention when Dustfinger talked to Capricorn about Meggie:

“‘These two know nothing?’ Capricorn opened the book, leafed through it, and then closed it again. ‘No, they know nothing. Even the girl doesn’t know… Her father hasn’t told her, so why should I?’” (Funke, 129)

Because of the secrets kept from Meggie, she was unprepared for what could happen in that

moment. Mo lied to Meggie about the truth of her mother and never told her about his talent. This led to Meggie getting into trouble. Keeping secrets from others can become a problem, and it is important to know that your lies and secrets are able to affect others. In real life, lies are able to break relationships and people, which is why it is important to always tell the truth to others for they really care for you. Secrets are another big problem that could lead to greater ones.  No one likes other people keeping secrets from you because you feel they don’t trust you the same way you trust them. 

From these last few chapters I can predict that, Mo, Meggie, Dustfinger, Elinor and Farid

will arrive at the coast and then they will spread out so that Capricorn’s men cannot find them. Suddenly, Mo is captured again and Meggie got the chance to run away since she was faster than the guards. Everyone except for Mo reunited and Meggie started reading out loud guessing she had the same talent as her father. She discovered that she has it, just a little different since she is able to return the characters to the book. Together they went to Capricorns village, enter the church with the mythical creatures that Meggie had brought to life, and fought against Capricorn. Meggie got the personal copy of Inkheart from Capricorn and returned Basta, Capricorn and Dustfinger back to their story; she also returned all the mythical creatures that helped her and finally, she returned Farid to his book. Since then, Mo, Meggie and Elinor lived together and they read books out loud enjoying them more than ever.

What a book can do

Books, the only thing she could die for.  Meggie, a 12 year old girl, inherited her love of books from her father, Mo. She reads them every day and at night Meggie hid her favorite book under her pillow. She liked to listen how the book whispered the story to her.  One night, a shadow stood on the other side of her window, intimidating Meggie. She quickly dashed to her father and told him about the frightening figure. Suddenly, Mortimer realized that it was his friend Dustfinger.  They talked about a man named Capricorn and that he was after a very important and valuable book. While Meggie eavesdropped on them she realized for the first time that Mo was hiding something from her. Sunrise arrived,

and they got in the van, which Meggie considered home since they had always left home because of Mo’s job as a book doctor. This time, they arrived at Elinor’s house.  She has tons of books in her mansion which Meggie loved. Mo and Elinor talked about a book named Inkheart, which was really special because it was the only edition left. Mo agreed to lend it to Elinor but she has to hide it because of its value. Dustfinger was an expert at juggling with fire so he invited Meggie to a little show he prepared for her which ended at midnight. A few minutes passed by and they heard something inside the house, Meggie ran towards Mo’s room but Elinor grabbed her and prohibited her from going to his room. There were many big, muscular armed men taking Mo and the book. Meggie ran after them but it was too late. Meggie was desperate to save her father so she planned his rescue. She went to Elinor’s room and when she was about to leave the goodbye letter she saw Elinor holding the Inkheart book, the one that this bad man Capricorn was after. Meggie was shocked and thought Elinor was accomplice of Capricorn but then she realized that it doesn’t make sense. Suddenly Dustfinger appeared and told them where Capricorn was taking Mo. Meggie was determine to save her father so she took the Inkheart book to exchange it for his father.  She noticed Dustfinger was acting strange, he knew everything about Capricorn, it seemed he was working for him.

There was a quote in the book that got my attention, since I did the same when I was a child.

“Meggie had one of her favorite books under her pillow, and since the rain wouldn’t let her sleep she sat up, rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes, and took it out.” (Funke, 2)

This quote made me remember when I was little, around the age of 7. I used to sneak to the kitchen and get two apples with Nutella because my parents didn’t let me eat anything past bed time. I stayed  awake playing with my toys and stuff animals on my bed and when my parents passed by I pretended to be asleep. I waited with my green apple and my Nutella under the pillow, until all the lights were out. Finally the time had come and I got the apple and ate it with Nutella all night long, it was delicious. When I finished, I left the Nutella in the cabinets and ran back to my bed and went to sleep.

Another quote that got my attention was when Meggie was describing her appreciation towards the books and how she felt about them:

“…but there was another reason why Meggie took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange…  Her books cheered her up when she was sad…” (Funke, 16)

From the quote, I can infer that because of Mo’s job, they needed to move from house to house, so Meggie left behind her friends, memories, houses, and experiences. The only thing that Meggie took with her from place to place was her books. Maybe, that is why her books cheered her up when she is sad because it remind her to what we call “home”. I can also infer that Meggie has a great admiration for books and enjoys reading them, taking them anywhere she went.  In Meggie’s case, books became a support and her home where she could find happiness and forget about sad moments.                

From these chapters we can see how Cornelia Funke is trying to communicate to us that family is one of the most important things in life. They give you support, they always give you love, affection, and think of your best in every decisions they make. They accept you the just the way you are and they will be there whenever you need them. Family lasts forever, not for a moment and it is important to value them and support each other just the way Meggie did with her father.