Theme: Make your own choices. Allowing others to force situations onto you will only cause unhappiness. Every decision matters. Quote 1: “Her momentary glee at the adjustment is crushed by the pain that follows as the ring continues to close around her finger, the metal burning into her skin. She tries to pull away but the man in the grey suit keeps his hand firmly around her wrist.” (Morgenstern, pg. 21) Analysis: Celia is forced to be bound to a challenge that she has no idea what entails. This ring symbolizes the challenge and Celia’s place within it. The ring is forced unto her even though she tries to pull away from the man in the grey suit while he is binding her. The challenge isn't something she agreed to; it is something that was decided between Celia's father and the man in the grey suit without the permission of Celia. In this moment, Celia is allowing others to make decisions for her, which as a result causes her pain and discomfort both with the ring and the challenge itself. This reveals that Celia’s character allows herself to be put into unwelcoming situations and finds herself powerless to change it or to stop it. This is important because now that Celia is bound to the challenge, she will find herself in many complex and uncontrollable instances where she would have to make decisions that benefit herself the most. By allowing herself to be originally controlled, she finds herself unhappy which can only be helped if she starts controlling her own decisions. Quote 2: “‘The one who survives is the victor,’ she says. ‘The winner lives, the loser dies. That’s how the game ends.’ ‘That—’ Marco stops, shaking his head. ‘That cannot be the intent of this.’ ‘It is,’ Celia says. ‘It is a test of endurance, not skill. I'm attempting to make the Circus self-sufficient before…’ (Morgenstern, pg. 420) Analysis: Celia and Marco find themselves in a difficult predicament where one of them has to die in order for the other to be free. They find themselves in this situation because they allowed their instructors to bind them into the challenge. Celia and Marco are in love so Celia feels it is her responsibility to end her life for his freedom. However, Marco feels the same way too. They decide that they should make this decision on their own after all the decisions their instructors made on their behalves. Either one of them would not be satisfied if they were to kill the other to become free of the challenge however they both wouldn’t accept it if the other committed suicide for them. If they had not allowed their instructors to trap them into the challenge, they would find themselves in an entirely different situation. Since they allowed it, they aren’t allowed to feel any closure or blame the situation on themselves. Had they taken control before, they would have been able to realize their own mistakes rather than being forced to deal with someone else's.

Quote 3: “‘And yet I cannot be myself. You teach me all these things and then you put me here to pretend to be something I am not, while she is center stage, doing exactly what she does.’” (Morgenstern, pg. 307) Analysis: Marco is realizing that he is trapped and he is rebelling against having to act as something he is not. He found himself in a position that if he had known he would be in when he auditioned for the challenge, he probably would rethink his choices. This reveals that Marco’s character feels uncomfortable and forced in the situation he has found himself in. This is important because this shows that Marco’s prior decisions are affecting him in the future. The author may have used the word “pretend” to describe the way Marco is feeling. “Pretend” shows that Marco feels he is acting as something he does not agree with and feels it is not right to continue this way. Marco has to face the consequences of his decisions. Quote 4: “‘We are fish in a bowl, dear,’ Tsukiko tells her, a cigarette holder dangling precariously from her lips. ‘Very carefully monitored fish. Watched from all angles. If one of us floats to the top, it was not accidental And if it was an accident, I worry that the watchers are not as careful as they should be.’” (Morgenstern, pg. 246) Analysis: These lines describe the relationship between the Circus and Celia and Marco. Celia and Marco are both bound to the Circus and the lives of its occupants. They both know and feel that it is their job to control everything and keep everyone safe. Tsukiko compares to employees of the Circus to “fish in a bowl.” This is because just like fish, they are used for amusement. The “owners” or the people that control them are looking to make sure nothing goes wrong and every “fish” is healthy and in working order. If a “fish” goes missing it is surely deliberate because the controllers are always watching to see if everything is going according to plan. This scene was Tara Burgesses funeral, Tsukiko is trying to imply that the “watchers,” Celia and Marco aren't being careful enough. This relates back to the consequences of the challenge; they are getting worn out and they don't have the strength inside of them to watch over every single detail of what happens to the employees when they are outside the Circus. They were forced into a challenge in which they bound themselves to the lives of others and now they are facing the consequences of such thoughtless behaviors. Quote 5: “‘You think being imprisoned marvelous?’ ‘It's a matter of perspective,’ Widget says. ‘They have each other. They are confined within a space that is a remarkable, one that can, and will, grow and change around them. In a way, they have the world, bound only by his imagination.’” (Morgenstern, pg. 502) Analysis: The author used the word “perspective” to express to the reader that all outcomes are viewed as good or bad based on the perspective of the people inside of the situation. Widget is

saying that he doesn't believe Marco is trapped or imprisoned, he believes that being “confined” within the Circus is a blessing and that it is filled with opportunities. It is only a matter of the way Marco and Celia view their situation, that is the only way to determine whether their current predicament is a blessing or a curse and whether they will always feel trapped and try to find ways to escape or if they will find a comfort in their situation. The consequences of actions are seen as bad or good based on the perspective of the person.

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● State a general theme. (Not connected to the story) ● Plot summary about the book and how it relates to the theme. (Make sure that the

summary isn’t too long, but make sure to add important details so that anyone would be able to understand the essay without having to read the story.)

● Set a thesis statement that arguments your piece (How the theme is present in the story. Includes character names and text details)

Every action has consequences and no action impacts one person alone. In Erin Morgenstern’s novel, The Night Circus , Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair were trained for a challenge against each other since their youths. They were instructed to duel to a death by their instructors who feel that they have complete control over the two lives. Celia and Marco both tied the fate of people and Le Cirque des Rêves to their own lives. The Circus became home to many people while Celia and Marco fell in love. The end of challenge brought difficult decisions and uncomfortable consequences that threatened the lives of close friends to ordinary patrons of the Circus. Throughout the challenge, Celia and Marco learn that their actions impact the lives of others so they had to be extremely careful about making decisions because they were not the only people they had to consider. Every single action made had its unfortunate consequences, but a decision always demanded to be made.