INKHEART

Themes
“Inkheart” is a magic story in which a little girl and her father try to deal with a
strange course about reading books aloud. However, looking deeply into this
story, the reader can find a number of timeless themes, such as the passion of
reading books, and the role of a single father, among others, which give the
story vitally and complexity.

The Passion for Reading Books

We already know that reading books is a practice that had decreased in
the last 15 years due to the advance in technology. Despite Inkheart takes
place in the 21st century, this reality is not shown by its author. So, we do not
see Meggie playing video games on her phone or Mortimer spending his free
time on the Social Networking Sites. Contrary to this, Inkheart is a book about
books, about reading books, writing books, collecting books and repairing
books. So you can expect to see a lot of them since Mo, Meggie and Elinor love
books so much as if they were pets.

“He was probably right, but there was another reason why Meggie took
her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was
somewhere strange. They were familiar voices, friends that never
quarreled with her, clever, powerful friends—daring and knowledgeable,
tried and tested adventurers who had traveled far and wide. Her books
cheered her up when she was sad and kept her from being bored while Mo
cut leather and fabric to the right size and re-stitched old pages that over
countless years had grown fragile from the many fingers leafing through
them. Some of her books always went away with Meggie. Others were left
at home because they weren't right for where she was going or to make
room for new, unknown stories she hadn't yet read.” (Chapter 2, pp.12)

The story tries to show us how important books are for characters since
they not only have a huge collection in their houses, but also the great passion
for reading they share. In fact, Mo is a bookbinder whose house is filled with
book. His daughter, Meggie is a books lover and brings them with her wherever
she goes; and Mo’s sister Elinor, share the same passion as Meggie and him.
Elinor’s house is filled with them. In the Chapter 4, “a House Full of Books”, the
author gives us a description about Elinor’s house.

"How many books do you have?" asked Meggie. She had grown up
among piles of books, but even she couldn't imagine there were books
behind all the windows of this huge house. Elinor inspected her again,
this time with unconcealed contempt. "How many?" she repeated. "Do
you think I count them like buttons or peas? A very, very great many.
There are probably more books in every single room of this house than
you will ever read — and some of them are so valuable that I wouldn't
hesitate to shoot you if you dared touch them. But because you're a clever
girl, or so your father assures me, you wouldn't do that anyway, would
you?" Meggie didn't reply. Instead, she imagined standing on tiptoe and
spitting three times into this old witch's face.” (Chapter 4, pp.24)

Another aspect to take into account is the fact that the whole story is
developed due to a unique and extraordinary book: Inkheart, which was written
by Fenoglio. At the beginning of the story, Mo is reading Inkheart to his wife and
daughter but, unfortunately he sends his wife literately into the book and brings
others characters such as Dustfinger, Basta and Capricorn, out of it. At this
point, Mo realizes that he has a strange gift. Since then, he refuses to read
aloud to Meggie because he is afraid of what happen with his wife, Teresa. So,
what would happen if Mo never read that book? Maybe nothing would happen
to his wife and the Book Inkheart would be considered as an ordinary book. The
Folchart family would continue reading and collecting thousands of books. Also,
they would be an ordinary family with ordinary problems, except for the fact they
have a big collection of book.

Meggie did not reply. She wasn't sure herself why she had asked the
question. "This book is very valuable, isn't it?" she asked.

"What, Inkheart?" Elinor took it from Meggie's hand, stroked the binding,
and then gave it back. "I think so. Although you won't find a single copy in
any of the catalogs or lists of valuable books. But I'm sure that many
collectors would offer your father a great deal of money if word got
around that he has what may be the only copy. Actually, I found out quite
a lot about it, and I believe it's not just a rare book but a good one, too. I
can't give an opinion on that. I scarcely managed a dozen pages last
night. When the first fairy appeared I fell asleep. I never was particularly
keen on stories full of fairies and dwarves and all that stuff." (Chapter 9,
pp.51)

On the other hand, this book Inkheart causes many circumstances, some
of them are terribly such as the loss of Meggie’s mother and the loss of Elinor’s
book collection. We all perceive how much love Elinor feels for her books, so
when Capricorn’s men destroyed her house and then burned her books,
Inkheart’s readers probably felt Elinor’s desperation and maybe they
understood how much she loved those books. And of course, they hated
Capricorn even more.

“The scar left by the bonfire was still visible on the lawn behind the
house, where Capricorn's men had piled up the books and burned them.
But before Elinor had had the ashes taken away, she had filled a jam jar
with the fine gray dust, and it stood on the bedside table in her room.
Many of the books that Capricorn's men had only swept off the shelves
were already back in their old places, others were waiting on Mo's
workbench to be rebound, but the library shelves were empty. As they
stood looking at them, Meggie saw the tears in Elinor's eyes even though
she was quick to wipe them away.” (Chapter 58, pp.288)

To conclude, Cornelia Funke, at the beginning of each chapter ,pays a

clear tribute to fantasy literature with quotes from outstanding works of the
genre such as Tolkien, Lewis, Dickens or Dahl. The delicacy which Mo takes
care and "heals" the books, Meggie’s enthusiasm for reading and the desire to
collect books from Elinor exemplify that passion of reading and collecting books.
 Family Ties
"There's a family behind every name — a mother or father, brothers
and sisters, perhaps a wife. If one of them were to find out that letters can
be brought to life, that someone who's only a name now could become
flesh and blood again, don't you think he or she would do anything,
anything at all, to make it happen?" (Chapter 27, pp.149)

Since the beginning of our history, family has always been very important
not only for the relationship between its members, but also for the difficulties
and obstacles they have to face. In the novel Inkheart, the author, shows us
how family is always there no matter the circumstances and how many
problems, that may arise, could be overcome with the help of family.

To begin with, Mo, a single father, who sends his wife into the book
Inkheart, has to deal with unfortunate circumstances to protect his daughter
Meggie. Being a single father is not an easy work, specially when he has got a
curious, little girl of 12 years old whom he has a very close connection with. In
fact, they not only share love for reading but also, they have a special way to
communicate. For example, they make use of the elf language of the Lord of
the Rings. This language helps them to communicate with each other when
Meggie was held in the Capricorn’s village.

"A message?" Fenoglio leaned over her shoulder. "Is it from your father?"
Meggie nodded. She had recognized the writing at once, although it
wasn't as steady as usual. Her heart began dancing inside her. She traced
the letters with her eyes as longingly as if they were a path with Mo
waiting for her at the end of it. "What on earth does it say? I can't make
out a word of it!" whispered Fenoglio. Meggie smiled. "It's elvish writing!"
she whispered. "Mo and I have been using it as our secret writing ever
since I read The Lord of the Rings, but he's probably rather out of
practice. He's made quite a lot of mistakes." (Chapter 42, pp.215)

Nevertheless, if Mo never had sent his wife Teresa into the book, Meggie
could have had a normal life style of an ordinary family. Conversely, Mo have to
deal with the great responsibility of not only to take care of Maggie but also, to
refuse to read books aloud in front of his daughter because he is afraid of
sending her into the book. In fact, every time his daughter asks him to read a
story, he just rejects her petition with no explanations which causes confusion
on Meggie.

“But Mo had never read aloud to her from her books. Not once. He had
tossed Meggie up in the air, he had carried her around the house on his
shoulders, he had taught her how to make a bookmark of a blackbird's
feathers. But he had never read aloud to her. Never once, not a single
word, however often she put books on his lap. Meggie just had to teach
herself how to decipher the black marks and open the treasure chest.”
(Chapter 2, pp.13)

Moreover, Mo is a brave father, who is always able to do the necessary

in order to keep his daughter safe. That is to say, sacrifices his family values
since he has to hide Meggie the truth about what has happened that night with
her mother and also about his curse/gift, for the unique reason of protecting her.
Even though when her daughter really wants to know why a strange man
appears in the middle of the night to visit him and why an ordinary book is so
important, Mo does not intend to tell her the truth until the middle of the story
when he has no choices.

"Didn't you promise burglars would never break into our house because
there's nothing here to steal?" whispered Meggie. "He's not a burglar,"
replied Mo, but as he stepped back from the window his face was so grave
that Meggie's heart thudded faster than ever. "Go back to bed, Meggie,"
he said. "This visitor has come to see me." He left the room before Meggie
could ask what kind of visitor, for goodness sake, turned up in the middle
of the night? She followed him anxiously.” (Chapter 1, pp.5)

Mo leaned his head against the wall. "I had to think up something, Elinor,"
he said. "I mean, I could hardly tell the truth, could I? So she never came
back?" she whispered, although she knew the answer already.

"No," replied Mo softly. "Basta, Capricorn, and Dustfinger came out of the
book and she went into it, along with our two cats who were curled up on
her lap as usual while I read aloud. I expect some creature from here
changed places with Gwin, too, maybe a spider or a fly or a bird that
happened to be flying around the house. Oh, I don't know. ..." Mo fell
silent. (Chapter 16, pp.79)

Furthermore, conflicts are caused by obstacles in almost any situation.

Nevertheless, a supporting family could help to overcome those obstacles in
order to maintain the union of family ties. Indeed, when Mo discovers that
Capricorn is behind him looking for the book, the book binder goes where his
sister Elinor lives. Elinor, a bad temper woman, share the same passion for
book as Mo and Meggie since she has got a big collection of books. Despite of
her bad temper, Elinor is always capable of compassion. In fact, she gives Mo
and Meggie housing and she also fight, in her own way, against Capricorn to
save Mo and his daughter. One of the main characteristics of Elinor as a sister
or aunt is she confronts Capricorn or Basta no matter the circumstances. At the
end of the book, when Basta captured Resa, Elinor scream at him to let Teresa
go in a loudly way:

"No," she said. "You don't get out of here until you let her go! I'd never
have expected this story to have a happy ending, but it has — and a
creature like you isn't going to spoil that at the last moment, as sure as
my name's Elinor Loredan!" Looking very determined, she placed herself
in front of the cage door. "You don't have your knife with you this time,"
she went on in a dangerously soft voice. "You have nothing but your filthy
tongue, and believe you me, that'll be no use to you now. Poke your
fingers into his eyes, Teresa! Kick him, bite him, the beast!" (Chapter 57,
pp.279)

As her Sister Elinor, Mo does the necessary to protect his daughter. That
is to say, he allows to read aloud to Capricorn with the condition of leaving
Meggie alone. This is one of the great acts that a father can do for a son or a
daughter. It is known about Mortimer never wants to read aloud neither for her
little girl.

"Let Elinor take my daughter home with her," said Mo. "Let them go and
I'll try to read you back again. I'll read you anything you like, but let the
two of them go first." What was he talking about? Meggie looked at him in
horror. "No!" she said. "No, Mo, I don't want to go away." But no one was
paying any attention to her.” (Chapter 17, pp.89)

Last but not least, Meggie is as brave and courage girl as her father. In
addition, she discovers that she shares the same gift as Mo since Meggie
brings to life a tin soldier and also a Tinkerbell. Although she is a little girl, she
takes her gift in a mature way, that is to say, she does not feel happy for have
brought those characters to life. Conversely, she feels so sorry as her father,
when he brought Dustfinger to life. Meggie’s bravery is probably inherited from
her aunt Elinor, since after Mo was kidnapped by Capricorn’s men, Meggie
convinced Elinor to rescue Mo at Capricorn’s village. Besides, at the end of
Inkheart’s story, the courage little girl “saves the day” when she reads
Fenoglio’s ending. It is important to mention that Mo’s daughter also shares the
passion for reading which she describes as a good companion when she feels
lonely. The quote below is about a note written by Meggie to Elinor, after Mo
was kidnapped by Capricorn’s men.

“She thought of hiding it under the bed, but instead, she decided to write
Elinor a note: Dear Elinor, she wrote, although she didn't really think that
was the correct way to address an aunt. I have to go and look for my
father, she went on. Don't worry about me. Well, Elinor wasn't likely to do
that anyway. And please don't tell the police I've gone or they'll be sure to
bring me back. My favorite books are in my box. I'm afraid I can't take
them with me. Please look after them. I'll come and get them as soon as
I've found my father. Thank you. Meggie.

P.S.: I know exactly how many books there are in the box.” (Chapter 9,
pp.47)

In conclusion, Mortimer had to do many sacrifices in order to keep his

daughter safe. We could understand how important is for a little girl that her
father reads a book story aloud and how hard is to grow up with the lack of a
mother figure. Mo, sometimes had to tell lies, but for good reasons. In the end,
only matters the love for each other, love even more power than The Shadow
itself.
 INKHEART

Lies and Secrets

Inkheart is about a magic story where lies and secrets seem to play an
important role as the story is developed. One of the main characters, Mo
Folchart, hides Meggie the truth about what really happened with her mother.
Furthermore, he lies Meggie about Dustinfinger and the secrets that Inkheart
involves. Eventually, in the middle of the story he tells her daughter the truth
about all these situations. In the following quote we can perceive Meggie’s
doubt about Dustfinger, when he just appears in Folchart’s house in the middle
of the night.

"Didn't you promise burglars would never break into our house
because there's nothing here to steal?" whispered Meggie. "He's not a
burglar," replied Mo, but as he stepped back from the window his face
was so grave that Meggie's heart thudded faster than ever. "Go back to
bed, Meggie," he said. "This visitor has come to see me." He left the room
before Meggie could ask what kind of visitor, for goodness sake, turned
up in the middle of the night? She followed him anxiously. As she crept
down the corridor she heard her father taking the chain off the front door,
and when she reached the hall she saw him standing in the open
doorway. The night came in, dark and damp, and the rushing of the rain
sounded loud and threatening.

"Dustfinger!" called Mo into the darkness. "Is that you?"

Dustfinger? What kind of a name was that? Meggie couldn't

remember ever hearing it before, yet it sounded familiar, like a distant
memory that wouldn't take shape properly. (Chapter 1, pp.6)

Dustfinger hides his true motives to Mo and Meggie of why he betrays

them. Later, he finally fully supports them since he discovers that Capricorn had
cheated him. Meggie is able to forgive Dustfinger lies because she now
understands the reasons why he had done. Here is a quote which describes an
angry Elinor since she discovers Dustfinger betrayal.

Dustfinger perched on the edge of the table and pinched out one of
the candles, gently and slowly as if waiting for the pain, the sharp little
stab of the candle flame. "I've told Basta already: Our dear friend Elinor
couldn't be persuaded to stay behind," he said. "She didn't want to let the
girl go with me alone, and she was very reluctant to give up the book."
"And wasn't I right?" Elinor's voice rose to such a pitch that Meggie
jumped. "Listen to him, Meggie, listen to that fork-tongued matchstick-
eater! I ought to have called the police when he turned up again. He came
back for the book; that was the only reason." (Chapter 14, pp.72)

As for Capricorn, he also lies and hides secrets in order to manipulate

people to get what he wants. One of the main Capricorn’s secrets is revealed in
Chapter 34 by Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart.

"You like to spread the rumor that she was of noble birth," Fenoglio
went on. "Indeed, it sometimes even pleases you to say she was a king's
daughter, and your father, you claim, was an armorer at her father's court.
A very nice story, too. Shall I tell you my version?" (Chapter 34, pp.183)

Being a little girl is not an obstacle to lie or to hide secrets. In the first
place, Meggie lies Elinor when she goes alone to save Mo. Secondly, Meggie
does not tell Mo about the maid Resa, who actually is her mother.

She knew the letters by heart: We're all right and I can do it, too, Mo!
I read Tinker Bell out of her book, and when it gets dark tomorrow
Capricorn wants me to bring the Shadow out of Inkheart to come and kill
Dustfinger. She didn't mention Resa. Not a word to show that she thought
she had seen her mother, and if Capricorn had his way that she, too, had
only two days to live. A message like that wouldn't fit on a piece of paper
no matter how large it was. (Chapter 42, pp. 216)

To conclude, as in the real life, lies and secrets play an important role.
Sometimes, they are used for good reasons, other for evil purposes. But, no
matter the circumstances, the truth is always come out.

"Its title is Inkheart because it's about a man whose wicked heart is as black as ink,
filled with darkness and evil. I still like the title."