The Neverending Story By Micheal Ende

 

 

 

What a brilliant imagination Micheal Ende had. Speaking for myself I could not be possibly thankful enough to him for his wonderful gift to us who manage to stay as a child. Because, despite being originally written for children, `The Neverending Story` has a lot to offer to grown up as well.

The story is about a boy called Bastian Balthazar Bux who has big passion for book…   Micheal Ende, perfectly descripted what kind of boy Bastian is and he said  If you have not experience such things, you probably won’t understand Bastian all together;

“If you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger..

If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early.

If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless.”

For sure Bastian was a boy who lost in book where he can find comfort. When he comes cross the book of the books unable to resist, he steals the book and hides in his school’s attic, where he begins to read. This is how `The Never-ending Story` began…

Before we jump into very fantastic highly imaginative `Fantastica’ we had Bastian`s thoughts about books which was my very own favourite part of the book and I`m sure many of you thought the same when you held a storybook and spared a moment to thought about…

Bastian looked at the book Ende writes:

“I wonder,” he said to himself, “what’s in a book while it’s closed. Oh, I know it’s full of letters printed on paper, but all the same, something must be happening, because as soon as I open it, there’s a whole story with people I don’t know yet and all kinds of adventures and deeds and battles.

And sometimes there are storms at sea, or it takes you to strange cities and countries. All those things are somehow shut up in a book. Of course you have to read it to find out. But it’s already there, that’s the funny thing. I just wish I knew how it could be.”

The story took place in the magical land called Fantastica which ruled by mysterious Childlike Empress. The land of human fantasy was about to dissolve when the story begin. The only way to save it from the become `nothing` is find a human child to enter Fantastica and give the Childlike Empress a new name, then revitalize the country with their wishes and dreams.

The Childlike Empress is suffering from a illness no doctor come up with a cure and there was a connection between Empress disease and the nothingness which took place from nowhere. The creatures from all over Fantastica were on their way to the Childlike Empress to ask for a solution to their newly existing problem, they have been facing. But they were shocked when the Empress’s physician, a centaur named Cairon, informs them that the Empress is dying, and has summoned a boy warrior named Atreyu, to find a cure. The Empress gives his magical medallion `Auryn` to Atreyu to be protected by all harm its likely would come to his way.

When Arteyu`s journey began he still doesn’t know what exactly he is up to.  At the advice of the giant turtle Morla, Atreyu sets off  in search of an invisible oracle, Uyulala, who may know the Empress’s cure. In reaching her, he is aided by a luckdragon named Fuchur. By Uyulala, he is told that the only thing to save the Empress is a new name given to her by a human child, beyond Fantastica’s borders. As Fuchur and Atreyu search for the borders of Fantastica, in a confrontation with wind giants Atreyu is flung from Fuchur`s back, loses Auryn in the sea, and lands, injured, in ruins of Spook City, a home to various wicked creatures.

There, Atreyu finds the wolf Gmork, chained and near death, who tells him that all the residents of the city have leapt voluntarily into the Nothing, to become lies and delusions in the human world, thanks to the irresistible pull of the destructive phenomenon. The wolf reveals as well that he is a servant of the Nothing who wishes to prevent the Empress’s chosen hero from saving her; when the princess of the city discovered Gmork’s treachery against the Empress, she imprisoned him and left him to starve to death. When Atreyu announces that he is the hero Gmork has sought, the wolf laughs and succumbs to death. However, upon being approached, Gmork’s body instinctively seizes Atreyu’s leg in his jaws. Meanwhile, Fuchur retrieves Auryn from the sea and arrives in time to save Atreyu from the rapid approach of the Nothing.

When Wind Giant told Arteju that Fantastica does not have borders he lost the last hope to find a human child to bring the Empress. They had nothing but going back to the Empress to inform her that they have failed to achieve their mission. However, the Childlike Empress, who assures them that they have brought her rescuer to her; Bastian suspects that the Empress means him, but cannot bring himself to believe it. But he was sure that for a moment his and the Empress eyes were met. Bastian knew that the Empress waiting for him but what on earth he could be in the Fantastica when it`s only a story written in a book.

When Bastian refuses to speak the new name, to prompt him into fulfilling his role as savior, the Empress herself locates the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, who possesses a book also entitled `The Never-ending Story`, which the Empress demands he read aloud.  As he begins, Bastian is amazed to find the book he is reading is repeating itself, beginning once again whenever the Empress reaches the Old Man, only this time, the story includes Bastian’s meeting with Coreander, his theft of the book, and all his actions in the attic.  Then Bastian realized until he enter to book the story will repeat where it left..

This is how the first part of book end and the second part began.

This is more complex then the first part. For a moment Bastian called out the name he had chosen for the Empress when he said `Moon Child` he enters into the book he has been reading. Now he was in charge of saving the Fantastica from destruction. That was first and the last time that Bastian saw her. He did not know yet but one could only see the Empress once in a life time. And there was no exception for Bastian. She gave her Auryn to him, on which he finds the inscription “Do What You Wish” on its back.

Bastian is supposed to build its own world and there is only one way to do it. To do what he wish. This is only way to move forward. But he has to be careful about what he wish for because, for each wish, Bastian loses a memory of his life as a human, and some of his ability to leave Fantastica. Unaware of this at first, Bastian goes through Fantastica, having adventures and telling stories, while losing his memories.

In spite of, the warnings of his only real friend Atreyu, Bastian could not stop to use Auryn to create creatures and dangers for himself to conquer, which causes some negative side effects for the rest of Fantastica. As Bastian gained power however he also became far less pleasant. Indeed, his very first wish is to transform into a strong and handsome prince rather than his actual self.

After encountering the wicked sorceress Xayide, with the mysterious absence of the Childlike Empress Bastian decides to take over Fantastica for himself, but is stopped by Atreyu, whom Bastian grievously wounds in battle. Arteju, who once caries Auryn by himself knew it`s power. In order to stop Bastian, Arteju has to take Auryn from him not just for his sake as well as for Fantastica too. Ultimately, a repentant Bastian is reduced to two memories: those of his mother and father, and of his own name. After more adventures, Bastian must give up the memory of his parents to discover that his strongest wish is to be capable of love and give love to others (namely his own father).

After much searching, and on the verge of losing his final memory, Bastian is unable to find the Water of Life with which to leave Fantastica with his memories. Here, he is found by Atreyu. In remorse, Bastian lays down Auryn at his friend’s feet, and Atreyu and Fuchur  enter Auryn with him, where the Water of Life demands to know Bastian’s name, and if Bastian has finished all the stories he began in his journey, which he has not.

Only after Atreyu gives Bastian’s name and promises to complete all the stories for him does the Water of Life allow Bastian to return to the human world, along with some of the mystical waters. He returns to his father, where he tells the full tale of his adventures, and thus reconciles with him. Afterwards, Bastian confesses to Coreander about stealing his book and losing it, but Coreander denies ever owning such a book. Coreander reveals he has also been to Fantastica, and that the book has likely moved into the hands of someone else. This, the book concludes, “is another story and shall be told another time”.

 

 

Micheal Ende