60 pages • 2 hours read
Edward Eager, N. M. Bodecker, Alice HoffmanHalf Magic
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1954A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Paradox of Wishing
In literature, a paradox is a situation or idea that contradicts itself yet is nonetheless true. In Half Magic, when the children discover the charm, the possibilities seem limitless. However, they soon realizes its inherent paradox: The more frequently they use the coin’s magic power, the more apparent its limitations become.
When Jane first understands the fake coin is magical, she plans to meet with her siblings to determine “how they were going to use this wonderful gift” and to plan their “Enchanted Summer” (28). Viewing the token as a “wonderful gift,” Jane recognizes the power that it holds. It could turn their dreary summer into something enchanted, a power underscored by the capitalization of Enchanted Summer. However potent the charm may seem, it does have limitations, specifically in that it only grants half of a wish. Although this seems easily overcome by doubling one’s wishes, sometimes determining just how to achieve this in a short amount of time can cause complications. All four children, Alison, and Mr. Smith, fall victim to the charm’s limitations.
The theme is developed in each adventure, as the children delight in some wishes but discover that their requests have consequences, especially if not well thought out. The most notable example of this is Katharine’s adventure in Camelot. After defeating Launcelot, she basks in the power and glory the magic has granted her. However, she soon realizes that “she had succeeded and she had failed” (84) because a girl is not supposed to beat the greatest knight in history. Merlin points out another folly: “There is a pattern to history, and when you try to change that pattern, no good may follow” (88). By using the charm, Katharine alters the story of Launcelot and Arthur and thus changes what may happen in the future. The text fails to note that the children’s appearance in Camelot has already changed the pattern of history; it is more concerned with teaching Katharine to stay in her place.
The children’s adventures reveal that wishing is more complicated than it appears. When a charm only grants half a wish, the wisher must still do something to make the wish come to fruition. This is evident in Alison’s wish to be home when she ends up stranded on the dark road, in a less desirable scenario than she was in before. However, although her initial wish wasn’t granted, her predicament allows her to meet Mr. Smith, and at the novel’s end, the children agree this may have been the charm’s sole purpose: to bring them together as a family.
The Need for Precise Language and Clear Thinking
Children often act impulsively and with selfish intent, so it is not surprising that the children flounder in their wish-making. However, this struggle extends to adults like Mr. Smith too. Their difficulties highlight the importance of precise language and clear thinking. Many of the characters make hasty decisions even after learning the value of precise language and clear thinking. This pattern reflects human nature and points to the difficulty of always acting rationally when emotions are involved.
Because the charm only grants half a wish, all who use the charm must be precise in their language. The first two wishes—Jane’s wish for fire and her mother’s desire to be home—underscore this need for precision. At this point, neither character is aware of the magic, but even once the children understand how the charm works, they err in their requests. For example, even after experiencing many poor outcomes from hasty wishes, Martha wishes to be elsewhere and ends up in the same place, but a ghost. Katharine wishes for Morgan le Fay to fall in a lake, but she ends up in a pool: “Katharine wasn’t thinking of the charm when she wished this, or she might have worded it differently” (68). Katharine’s imprecise wording is one instance in a pattern of wishes the children make, highlighting just how necessary it is to use the correct language.
The children’s wishes also emphasize that specific wording accompanies clear thinking. If Katharine had paused long enough to consider, she may have framed her wishes differently. Composure and equanimity are required not just in the magic they create but in other situations too. After Jane wishes for the fire, the children explode into arguments about magic. Mark, as he often does, intervenes to say, “This won’t do any good. We’ve got to talk about it” (12). Recognizing that arguing will not solve their problems or provide answers, Mark makes a logical suggestion to talk calmly. Mr. Smith demonstrates this prudence when trying to convince the children’s mother that magic is real. After many reckless wishes from the children, he interjects, “I suggest we start over […] and I suggest that we take it more slowly. And that somebody thinks before acting” (176). Beginning anew at a slower pace allows him to figure how to achieve the desired results. Through careful thinking, not hasty actions, they convince their mother that magic is real and that marrying Mr. Smith is a good option.
The Value of Rules and Structure
In Half Magic, the children seek boundaries for their carefree adventures. Both before and after discovering the magic charm, the children demonstrate a desire for rules and structure.
Before finding the charm, rules are both placed upon the children and established by the siblings themselves. While the children bemoan the dullness of their town, the narrator expounds upon the limits of borrowing books from the library; the rules seem to limit the children. However, one day when walking home from the library, they fabricate their own guidelines. When Martha throws a tantrum and refuses to walk because Katharine incessantly recites poetry, Jane and Mark establish that they can no longer read aloud. Even though they break this mandate to read E. Nesbit’s book, their desire to keep the peace through simple regulations is clear.
After discovering the charm’s capabilities, Jane stipulates guidelines for their magic. Returning from the desert, she asserts that they must take turns and that “nobody’s to make any main wish that doesn’t include the rest of us. If there have to be smaller wishes later on in the same adventure, the person who wished the main wish gets to make them, except in case of emergency” (59). Providing a structure for using the magic ensures not just fairness and safety but also a sense of inclusivity. If they follow the rules, they will be able to stick together and find their bearings even in a strange place or situation. These guidelines impose order on the otherwise chaotic and unpredictable nature of the charm’s magic.
Alison’s skepticism about magic reinforce this theme. Alison refuses to believe in magic because every magical event breaks the rules of the world she knows. When she ends up halfway home on a dark road, she insists that memory loss is only explanation. After speaking with Jane, she thinks, “Probably none of it had really happened at all. Probably she was ill and imagining things—coming down with the flu or something” (27). It is easier for Alison to believe that she has imagined things or contracted an illness than it is to accept magic. Illness is commonplace, and therefore more understandable. There are no guidelines for how to handle magic, which makes it nearly impossible for Alison to accept.
Although children typically long to be free from restrictions like school or chores, the siblings demonstrate that even in times of fun, structure is needed. This is part of the book’s didactic goal, which is to teach young readers proper, socially acceptable behavior. The desire for clear, understandable rules even extends to adults, who sometimes, like Alison, have a harder time grappling with the unknown.
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