Circle Images In The Night Circus

The Significance of Circle Images in The Night Circus For centuries, circles have been used to represent eternity, whether it be rings, ritualistic drawings, etc. In the novel The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, circle images play an important role. The novel follows the lives of two young magicians, pitted against each other in a competition of magic where only one can survive. They soon fall in love, complicating the challenge. Eternity is a recurring topic in The Night Circus, and it compliments the love story, along with other elements of the story. Although the circle images in The Night Circus could be interpreted as yonic symbols through a Freudian analysis, they primarily support the topic of eternity in the novel. The most important

But the man in the grey suit does not put anything in her open palm. Instead, he turns her hand over and removes a silver ring from his pinkie. He slides it onto her ring finger, though it is too loose for her slim fingers, keeping his other hand around her wrist…she realizes it is shrinking on her hand. 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…leaving only a bright red scar around Celia’s finger.” (Morgenstern, 20-21).

Celia is now bound to the competition for eternity, shown by the circular scar from the ring on her finger. She cannot escape it, because the scar is permanent. Whenever someone in the competition tries to leave, they experience searing pain originating from the ring’s scar. It also symbolizes that she is bound to her opponent for eternity, because they are tied magically by the rings.

The rings in the novel are also used to bind someone to the circus. When Celia and Marco become trapped between the physical realm and the spiritual one, they need a caretaker for the circus. Bailey is asked to take over, so Marco creates a ring to bind him to his