Michael Ende's 'The Neverending Story': The Message Behind It

                                                

Written by German author Michael Ende and published in 1979, The Neverending Story is a book that’s really detailed and doesn’t contain much humour, just like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, so it’s not for those who aren’t into the fantasy/epic genre. If you are, it’s a page-turner. Originally written in German, it was translated into English by Ralph Mannheim. 

Bastian Balthasar Bux, neglected by his grieving father after his mother's death, is an imaginative boy without friends who is bullied at school. One day, fleeing bullies, he escapes to a bookshop, where he meets the mysterious owner, Mr Carl Conrad Coreander, and becomes captivated by a strange book the old man was reading.

                                                    

It was bound in copper-coloured silk that shimmered when he moved it about. Leafing through the pages, he saw that the book was printed in two colours. There seemed to be no pictures, but there were large, beautiful capital letters at the beginning of the chapters. Examining the binding more closely, he discovered two snakes on it, one light and one dark. They were biting each other’s tails, so forming an oval. And inside the oval, in strangely intricate letters, he saw the title: The Neverending Story. 

Drawn by the book's title, Bastian steals it while Mr Coreander is on the phone and, skipping classes, hides in the school's attic to read it. From there, he (and the readers)  is drawn into the story within the story.

Fantastica (''Fantasia '' in the 1984 movie) is in trouble because a dark and faceless entity known as ‘The Nothing’ is destroying the land, ruled by the Child-Like Empress, who is the oldest being in the land but eternally has the appearance of a 10-year-old girl. But ‘The Nothing’ has made her very ill, and she is dying.  A young green-skinned warrior/hunter,  Atreyu, is chosen and sent on a quest to find a cure. He’s given the Empress’ amulet - AURYN- which will protect him as long as he wears it, but is ordered never to use its power.

                                          

"For the Childlike Empress herself never makes use of her power. AURYN will protect you and guide you, but whatever comes your way, you must never interfere, because from this moment on, your own opinion ceases to count. You must let what happens happen. You may only search and inquire, never judge. Always remember that, Atreyu!"

Michael Ende used stories and ways of writing from old tales to make his fantasy world feel believable, just like Lewis Carroll and J.K. Rowling did in their books. This helped explain how Bastian ended up in Fantastica.

According to Uyulala, the Southern oracle Atreyu encounters in Part 2, Chapter 16, the cure for the Empress is a new name; she lived by names, not Time itself. The name must be provided by a child from the Outer World. 

Gmork, the werewolf-like monster, the Power behind ‘The Nothing’, sent to kill Atreyu before he could complete his mission, said to him:

                                                     

                   

 "What are you creatures of Fantastica? Dreams. Poetic Inventions, characters in a never-ending story. Do you think you are real? Well, yes, here in your world you are. But when you've been through the Nothing, you won't be real anymore. You'll be unrecognisable. And you'll be in another world. In that world, you Fantasticans won't be anything like yourselves. You will bring delusion and madness into the human world. If humans believe Fantastica doesn’t exist, they won’t get the idea of visiting your country."

What is the message behind The Neverending Story? 

The message of the first half of the novel is the power of the human imagination and the power of names. How magical creatures and lands are alive because humans conjure them up vividly in their minds, passing stories from generation to generation. Uyulala told  Atreyu: 

"In every age, it’s they who gave

The Child-Like Empress Life,

For wondrous new names have the power to save.

But now for many a day

No human has visited Fantastica.

For they no longer know the way.

They have forgotten how read we are,

They don’t believe in us anymore.

Oh, if only a child of man would come,

Oh, then at last the thing would be done."

According to the Child-like  Empress, "Only the right name gives beings and things their reality,’ and "If the hero comes to us, new life can be born."

And Bastian, having followed Atreyu throughout his journey and putting himself in Atreyu’s shoes, was literally absorbed by the book, finding himself in Fantastica after calling out the Empress’s new name.  According to the Empress, when Atreyu felt he had failed in his mission: 

"He took part in everything you did, and he has come all that way with you...

You entered into his image and took it with you, and he followed you because he saw himself through your eyes. And now, too, he can hear every word we are saying. He knows we are talking about him, he knows we have set our hope in him and are expecting him."

A story,  its characters and its settings exist forever, as long as it stays in our memories for a very long time. And we are a part of it because it stays in our hearts as well; thus, a never-ending story.  

The other half of the book deals with the Fulfilment of Wishes. Bastian saves Fantastica by giving the Empress a new name, but falls prey to pride, ambition, arrogance and bad advice from a sorceress Xayide, after the Empress gives him AURYN, with the message at the back- Do What You Wish. 

 But Bastian misunderstood her actual meaning, thus his wishes cause negative happenings in Fantastica and the loss of his memories as a human, and how to go back to his world, as well as his humility. Only when he realised what the message actually meant was he able to put things right, with Atreyu and Falkor’s  (the white luck dragon) help.

 The second message of The Neverending Story? How can one lose their way after wishing for the wrong thing and making a wrong decision...it brings to mind this saying,  Gain the whole world but lose your own soul.

                                                

The highly popular  1984 movie adaptation only covered half of the 26-chapter novel; hence, The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter was released in 1990, but was loosely based on it, as a new storyline was added. However, what Mr Coreander said to Bastian in the movie would make one think: 

 Have you ever read a book twice?  Books change each time you read them.

The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia, released in 1994,  is a reboot, using only a few of the characters from the book. Michael Ende complained about the original movie, saying it didn't capture the spirit of the book. At least, it was better than the two later movies.

The Neverending Story is a true classic and definitely a must-read. 

Note: This post was previously published on the sister blog, My Favorite Things.