Howl’s Moving Castle

by

Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie’s Walking Stick Symbol Analysis

Sophie’s Walking Stick Symbol Icon

Sophie’s walking stick represents Sophie’s coming of age process, particularly as she develops self-confidence. When Sophie first finds her stick, she’s recently been turned into an elderly woman and needs the stick for mobility reasons. The stick is, at this point, something that props Sophie up when she’s weaker than usual—and when she’s at a low spot emotionally as well, as she believes she’s destined to fail due to being the eldest of three children. However, unbeknownst to Sophie, she has the power to “talk life” into things, and she talks life into her stick over the course of the novel. This eventually turns it into what Mrs. Pentstemmon says is some approximation of a magic wand: it’s a magical, almost sentient thing in its own right. By this point in the novel, Sophie accepts that she’s powerful and has the ability to talk life into things, such as her stick, which now symbolizes her growing self-confidence. During the novel’s final battle between Sophie, Howl, and Miss Angorian, Sophie fully comes into her own and fully accepts her own power—and she discovers that she can be successful, if only she thinks about what she’s doing. And when Howl causes the stick to vanish during the battle (and when Sophie then reverts to her teenage self), it symbolizes that Sophie has come of age and learned to accept that she’s powerful, competent, and can stand on her own two feet, without a magic wand or a walking stick.

Sophie’s Walking Stick Quotes in Howl’s Moving Castle

The Howl’s Moving Castle quotes below all refer to the symbol of Sophie’s Walking Stick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
).
Chapter Twelve Quotes

She had said Sophie was a witch. Oddly enough, Sophie accepted this without any trouble at all. That explained the popularity of certain hats, she thought. It explained Jane Farrier’s Count Whatsit. It possibly explained the jealousy of the Witch of the Waste. It was as if Sophie had always known this. But she had thought it was not proper to have a magic gift because she was the eldest of three.

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter, The Witch of the Waste, Mrs. Pentstemmon, Jane Farrier
Related Symbols: Sophie’s Walking Stick
Page Number: 238-239
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Twenty-One Quotes

Sophie raised her stick, slowly and gently. This time she thought for an instant before she acted. “Stick,” she muttered. “Beat Miss Angorian, but don’t hurt anyone else.” Then she swung the stick and hit Miss Angorian’s tight knuckles the biggest crack she could.

Miss Angorian let out a squealing hiss like a wet log burning and dropped Calcifer. Poor Calcifer rolled helplessly on the floor, flaming sideways across the flagstones and roaring huskily with terror. Miss Angorian raised a foot to stamp on him. Sophie had to let go of her stick and dive to rescue Calcifer. Her stick, to her surprise, hit Miss Angorian again on its own, and again, and again. But of course it would! Sophie thought. She had talked life into that stick.

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter (speaker), Wizard Howl, Calcifer , Miss Angorian
Related Symbols: Sophie’s Walking Stick
Page Number: 419
Explanation and Analysis:

He stood up in a hurry. He held out one hand and spoke a sentence of those words that lost themselves in claps of thunder. Plaster fell from the ceiling. Everything trembled. But the stick vanished and Howl stepped back with a small, hard, black thing in his hand.

Related Characters: Sophie Hatter, Wizard Howl, Calcifer , The Witch of the Waste, Miss Angorian
Related Symbols: Sophie’s Walking Stick
Page Number: 424
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Howl’s Moving Castle LitChart as a printable PDF.
Howl’s Moving Castle PDF

Sophie’s Walking Stick Symbol Timeline in Howl’s Moving Castle

The timeline below shows where the symbol Sophie’s Walking Stick appears in Howl’s Moving Castle. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Two
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...country lanes and enjoys the warm day. Sophie keeps an eye out for a walking stick and thinks she finds one—but it’s just an abandoned scarecrow with a turnip as a... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Sophie tells the stick she’s had two encounters now, and she expects a third. The third one comes late... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...that she should be safe because Wizard Howl only hunts young girls, Sophie waves her stick at the castle and shrieks for it to stop. To her immense satisfaction, it obeys. (full context)
Chapter Three
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...reaches it, the castle moves away. Sophie runs after it, hits the door with her stick, and shouts for it to open. It does. Sophie barely manages to haul herself inside... (full context)
Chapter Seven
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...to warn Martha about Howl. She’s still sore the next morning, but she grabs her stick and prepares to leave while Howl is primping in the bathroom. He emerges before Sophie... (full context)
Chapter Twelve
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...then, Howl emerges from the bathroom. He grudgingly allows Sophie to take her “awful old stick” with her, and then he escorts Sophie and Michael into Kingsbury. It’s extremely hot, and... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...her “maternal feelings” and her magical gift. It brings things to life, such as her stick—which is now a sort of magic wand. Sophie is flustered, but Mrs. Pentstemmon closes her... (full context)
Chapter Thirteen
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...in Market Chipping. Sophie tells herself she’s not afraid; after all, Mrs. Pentstemmon said her stick is magic now. But as the ladies pass each other, the Witch laughs at Sophie... (full context)
Chapter Twenty-One
Appearances and Assumptions Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
Everyone but Sophie chases the scarecrow. Sophie grabs her stick and runs into the shop, muttering that Howl won’t forgive her for letting Miss Angorian... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...area, though now she’s tall, skinny, and blond. She backs away when Sophie brandishes her stick, but then the Witch waves her hands. The page boys turn into sticky blobs that... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
...Witch, the Witch says she’ll make him obey because she’ll control Calcifer. Sophie waves her stick, so the Witch snaps that she’s worked very hard to lure everyone out here. She’s... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...wanders away. Sophie thinks the Witch is losing her mind. She begins to try to unstick herself by waving her stick at the orange stuff, and it starts to work. Suddenly,... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...that Howl isn’t faking; his heart is soft. Thinking before she acts, Sophie tells her stick to beat only Miss Angorian and to hurt no one else. She hits Miss Angorian’s... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...with Prince Justin’s body over its shoulders, fits itself into the doorway. By now, Sophie’s stick is flaming and Miss Angorian pulls Michael in front of her, so the stick stops... (full context)
Destiny vs. Free Will Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
Magic and Coming of Age Theme Icon
...about Miss Angorian, who is trying to burn Martha and the scarecrow with Sophie’s burning stick. Howl speaks more odd words and after a clap of thunder, the stick is gone,... (full context)