105 pages • 3 hours read
Cornelia FunkeInkheart
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
The Power of Literature
Literature drives both characterization and the plot in Funke’s Inkheart. From the opening chapters, Mo and Meggie’s life is dictated by their love for books:
[T]he books in Mo and Meggie’s house were stacked under tables, on chairs, in the corners of the rooms. There were books in the kitchen and books in the lavatory. Books on the TV set and in the closet, small piles of books, tall piles of books, books thick and thin, books old and new (4).
Their travels are dictated by Mo’s work as a book binder, and books are used to remember joyful times and as a salve in bad times. Meggie Folchart and Mo Folchart bond over a shared reverence for books, to the point where Meggie feels that her father does not simply repair books for a living; he is a “Book Doctor,” healing his “patients” with skill and care. Meggie turns to books when Dustfinger’s ominous visit upends her peaceful life, as her greatest comfort is being able to escape into a story. Literature has the power to bring people together: not just Mo and Meggie, but also Mo and Meggie’s mother, who bonded over a shared love of stories. Books are insurmountably important to Elinor Loredan, who initially refuses to let Meggie touch her collection even though Meggie has grown up around books: “I assume your father has taught you a certain respect for books […]. However, […] keep at least three paces away from the shelves” (38). Despite this rocky start, Meggie and Elinor begin to bond, and eventually, Elinor even buys Meggie books for herself, showing she’s come to trust and care for Meggie.
The primary villain, Capricorn, burns Elinor’s library after Elinor and the others escape from his village. This is reminiscent of real-life “book burning,” which is often a symbol of censorship because books contain such diverse voices and ideas. The Nazis performed a massive book burning campaign during World War II, though they were not the first nor the last to do so. Though Capricorn’s burning of Elinor’s library is an act of revenge more than anything, the imagery contains powerful historical symbolism and conveys the power of literature.
In addition to these “soft” powers that books hold, Funke gives stories literal power. Reading takes on an additional layer of thematic importance when Mo reveals he can magically produce objects and characters from books. This takes a book’s ability to transport a reader to another world and turns it into something very real and dangerously magical. In fact, Mo’s power is the reason for the plot; his ability brought Capricorn, Basta, and Dustfinger “slipping out of their story like a bookmark forgotten by some reader between the pages” (139), and cost him his wife in the process. Without Mo’s power, Capricorn and the others would not be real, tangible threats to him and his family, nor would they have any reason to capture him and force him to work for them. Meggie later discovers that she shares Mo’s ability, which pushes the plot to its climax as Capricorn forces her to summon the Shadow, a creature he uses as an assassin.
Despite their dangers, words also save the day. Funke emphasizes the power of stories through Fenoglio and Meggie’s plan, allowing Meggie to save the day not with brute strength or violence, but with creativity and intelligence. Fenoglio writes a new ending to the story, which gives Meggie (with Mo’s help) the chance to turn the tables using only the power of words. The steady confidence with which she must read, and the way she falters when she must read the line that takes Capricorn’s life, all serve to illustrate that words are powerful and meaningful. Meggie cannot bring herself to inflict harm with words, which speaks to her integrity and her respect for their power.
Funke ends her novel with a final nod to the power of literature. Elinor welcomes a large community into her home, embracing the bonds she has built and the new purpose she’s discovered. Unlike the woman who refused to let young Meggie touch her books, Elinor becomes a welcoming caretaker who rebuilds her vast library with the help of others. The story ends with Meggie dreaming of becoming an author like Fenoglio; this is a perfect medium that allows Meggie to share the power of stories without accidentally harming anyone in the process.
The Complexities of Loyalty
Loyalty and betrayal shape characters’ relationships and decisions, bringing them together or pushing them apart. Through her characters, Funke points out that loyalty is not always easy, straightforward, or without consequence, but that when tied to integrity, loyalty can grant great strength.
Mo, Meggie, Elinor, and Resa’s commitment to each other drives much of the plot. Meggie and Elinor follow Mo to Capricorn’s village to save him. Later, Meggie’s imprisonment brings Mo and Elinor to Capricorn’s village to save her. Loyalty complicates their circumstances; they throw themselves into danger for each other, and Capricorn knows he can manipulate them through their love for one another. He repeatedly comments that he can easily threaten Mo into doing his bidding simply by threatening Meggie, as Mo, who is devoted to his daughter, would never cause her harm or leave her alone in a dangerous situation. Later, Resa stays in Capricorn’s village rather than fleeing to safety because she doesn't want to leave her daughter’s side when they finally reunite after nine long years of separation. She remains loyally with Meggie even though she has been sentenced to execution; despite her noble intentions, this places a huge burden on Meggie, who is being forced to summon the very creature Capricorn wants to use to execute Resa and Elinor. If Meggie does not succeed in defeating Capricorn, her mother and great-aunt will die at the hands of the Shadow, which she herself must pull from Inkheart. Loyalty brings these characters together for the climactic moment where Mo and Meggie read Fenoglio’s words to save Resa and Elinor from the terrifying Shadow.
Basta is another example of someone burdened by loyalty. In Fenoglio’s words, “Basta would have let his heart be torn out for Capricorn, but his master is a stranger to such loyalty” (257). Basta devotes himself entirely to Capricorn, willingly and gleefully enacting cruelty and violence in Capricorn’s name. However, Capricorn’s disinterest means that Basta is repaid with imprisonment when Dustfinger escapes under his watch. He is sentenced to execution, and though he is spared with the destruction of the Shadow, Capricorn’s death leaves him fleeing into the world, adrift without purpose.
Dustfinger best embodies the complexities of loyalty. He is initially an enigmatic and unpredictable character, appearing to warn Mo of approaching danger, only to betray Mo, Meggie, and Elinor by luring them to Capricorn’s village. However, Dustfinger’s betrayal is more complicated than Capricorn’s straightforward cruelty and lust for power. Dustfinger is motivated by desperate homesickness and grief, and he is devastated when he learns that Capricorn tricked him and never intended to send him home. From that moment on, Dustfinger generally aligns himself with Meggie’s group; however, he does so purely to further his goal of returning to the world of Inkheart. He forcefully shuts down any burgeoning loyalties to Meggie and her family, as he feels he has no place amongst them and no room in his life for such attachments. Dustfinger is one of the only major characters who does not physically appear in the climactic scene of Capricorn’s defeat, as he watches the entire thing from a distance.
Despite Dustfinger’s desire to act alone, he gains a loyal follower in Farid, the young boy that Mo pulls from Thousand and One Nights. Farid, like Dustfinger, is alone in a foreign and confusing world with no way of returning home, and he latches onto Dustfinger, whom he looks up to. Dustfinger repeatedly expresses confusion and distress over Farid’s devotion to him, as he feels he has done nothing to earn it and thinks Farid’s presence complicates his goals. Farid, however, remains a stubborn ally to Dustfinger. Though he develops a crush on Meggie and helps Mo and Elinor how he can, his primary motivation is to rescue Dustfinger and stay with him as long as possible.
Ultimately, Funke rewards loyalty for Meggie and her family. They achieve the happy ending where their family is reunited: “Silvertongue and Resa were asleep under a tree with Meggie between them, sheltered like a young bird in a warm nest” (523). Despite their respective hardships, the family stays true to one another, and they come back together and are able to live happily because of it. Elinor is also embraced as part of their family: “Elinor was sleeping not far away and smiling in her sleep” (523). Elinor is rewarded for her loyalty to Mo, Meggie, and Resa with a home filled with a loving family, and a menagerie of intriguing and grateful mythical creatures from the world of Inkheart. This is a far cry from the solitary life she led in the opening chapters. Funke suggests that although loyalty can be a dangerous complicated thing, loyalty to one’s family, and to the side resisting evil, will be positively formative and will have immeasurable desirable results.
Maturing Through the Hero’s Journey
The “hero’s journey” is a narrative template that is common in fantasies and epics. The hero, usually the protagonist of the story, embarks on a journey and undergoes immense growth in the process. The hero often returns home at the end of the story, but they are changed from who they were at the beginning. With child heroes like Meggie, these adventures often lead to a coming of age, as the character matures throughout the narrative.
Meggie’s coming of age is brought about by the stress of being captured and used by Capricorn and his terrifying followers. Before these events transpire, Meggie behaves in a childlike way. At 12 years old, she is heavily reliant on her father, Mo, and is unsettled by the changes brought about by Dustfinger’s sudden arrival. Suddenly, Mo tells her that they must flee their home, and Meggie senses that her father is lying to her and hiding things from her. Though she is aware of this, she does not understand—or at least doesn’t care—that Mo is trying to act in her best interests; she focuses primarily on how the situation makes her feel. Her discomfort and insecurity manifests in ways that foreground her immaturity, such as when she throws a tantrum and prevents them from leaving home: “‘I’m not getting back in [the van] until you tell me.’ Mo came toward her but Meggie slipped away and ran through the gate into the road. ‘Why won’t you tell me?’ She cried” (24).
This behavior contrasts her maturity and composure at the end of the story, after she has endured violence, numerous imprisonments, separation from her father, and other incidents of chaos and confusion. As the typical child hero, Meggie gains resourcefulness and composure through the stressors she experiences. She learns to think quickly, such as when she saves Elinor from Capricorn by pointing out that Elinor might be useful to him. She demonstrates bravery, boldly chasing after her father and openly resisting Capricorn and his lackeys. Although Meggie shows fear and longs for the comfort of her father’s presence, she takes matters into her own hands, trying to escape and working with Fenoglio on a plan to defeat Capricorn once and for all.
Meggie’s growth is exemplified in her composure at the reading in Capricorn’s arena. Capricorn forces her to read forth a monster to kill her mother and great-aunt, and to do so as a public spectacle. Furthermore, Mortola threatens to cut Fenoglio’s throat if Meggie tries to sabotage her reading:
‘Should you fail to do what Capricorn asks, should it occur to you to stumble over the words on purpose, or distort them so the guest Capricorn is expecting does not come, then…’ Mortola paused and Meggie felt the old woman’s breath on her cheek. ‘Cockerell will cut the old man’s throat’ (502).
Meggie must draw on her courage, resilience, and maturity to carry out the plan despite these threats, knowing that there is no guarantee she will succeed. She must fool the audience watching her by sneakily producing Fenoglio’s hidden papers, and she must instruct the terrifying Shadow to turn on Capricorn before anyone can catch on or stop her. Throughout all of this tension, Meggie reads “in a firm voice” and continues to do so even when Mortola tries to stop her, illustrating her determination and composure in this terrifying situation (514).
Meggie ultimately cannot bring herself to kill Capricorn. While she had earlier suggested to Fenoglio that “the shadow must kill them all” (476), illustrating her immature idea of a solution to their plight, her hesitation in the climactic moment demonstrates her compassion and an understanding of the immense consequences of her actions (510). It is more appropriate that Mo, an adult, reads the final, fatal lines for Meggie: “And Capricorn fell down on his face, and his black heart stopped beating” (510). This shows that although Meggie has greatly matured over the course of the story, she is still young and still needs the support of her family.
Meggie completes the typical hero’s journey by conquering evil—Capricorn—and returning home. She reunites with her family and enjoys a time of peace and unity surrounded by those she loves. Meggie displays her growth when she decides to become an author so that she can “read aloud to her mother without worrying about who might come out of the stories and look at her with homesick eyes” (534). Meggie, though brave and compassionate from the start, is able to harness these feelings and act on them in more refined ways due to the experience she’s gained on her journey.
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