Ella Enchanted (Book)- Analysis, Summary, Characters & Themes

Analysis

Ella Enchanted is a cool book about a girl named Ella who got cursed with obedience. That means she has to do whatever anyone tells her. She lives in a world with ogres, fairies, and princes. Ella is brave and smart. She goes on a journey to break the curse. Along the way, she meets different characters and faces challenges. The story is about her adventures, her friendships, and finding true love. It’s a fun and exciting fairy tale with a strong and clever main character.

Title	Ella Enchanted
Author	Gail Carson Levine
Publication Year	1997
Langugage	English
No. of Pages	240 Pages
Genre	Children’s literature, Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Setting	A fictional kingdom in Europe
Protagonist	Ella of Frell

Characters

The characters in “Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine are:

• Ella: A kind and determined girl who is cursed with the obedience gift.
• Prince Charmont: A handsome prince who falls in love with Ella.
• Lady Eleanor: Ella’s gentle and loving mother.
• Sir Peter: Ella’s cold and greedy father.
• Dame Olga: Ella’s cruel stepmother.
• Mandy: Ella’s fairy godmother who disguised herself as the family cook.
• Lucinda: The fairy who cursed Ella.
• Slannen: An elf who helps Ella break the curse.
• Benny: A giant who is Mandy’s boyfriend.
• Areida: Ella’s best friend.

Themes

In “Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine, some important themes are:

1. Courage and Independence: Ella shows courage by trying to break the curse on her own. She’s determined to be free from the obedience spell and makes her own choices despite the difficult situation.
2. Friendship and Loyalty: Ella values her friendships, especially with characters like Mandy and Prince Char. She’s loyal to them and they support each other through thick and thin.
3. Overcoming Obstacles: Throughout the story, Ella faces challenges and obstacles because of the curse. She perseveres and finds ways to deal with these challenges, showing resilience and determination.
4. Self-Discovery: Ella learns about herself, her strengths, and her desire to live freely. She discovers her own inner strength and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Summary

The novel “Ella Enchanted” is based on the Cinderella fairy tale. Ella is born with obedience, a trait bestowed upon her by a fairy named Lucinda. She follows instructions without question, regardless of how odd they may seem. Ella finds this problematic, although Lucinda meant well when she gave the present. Ella’s mother, Lady Eleanor, recognizes the potential problems with this gift. Ella is instructed by her to keep Lucinda’s magic a secret. Despite this, Ella continues to receive instructions from others and always complies.

Ella enjoys playing and laughing with her mother, Mandy, and the chef as she gets older. Until Lady Eleanor becomes ill and passes away, that is. In the wake of her mother, Ella is inconsolable. While running into the cemetery to weep by herself, she stumbles upon Prince Charmont. Ella receives condolences from Charmont. Ella had supper with Dame Olga and her children, Hattie and Olive, following the burial. Because of their terrible temperaments, Ella dislikes Hattie and Olive.

Mandy reveals to Ella that she is her fairy godmother. Sadly, Mandy is unable to undo Lucinda’s spell since she strictly believes in utilizing “small magic.” Ella is like a daughter to Mandy. She takes care of her, giving her an enchanted book of fairy stories, for example.

Ella’s father, Sir Peter, informs her that she will be attending finishing school together with Olive and Hattie. Ella is upset, and when they are traveling to school, Hattie discovers something dangerous: Ella follows instructions. Ella becomes Hattie’s attendant. She mistreats Ella, exploiting her loyalty against her, and sends her on errands.

It is revealed to Ella that Lucinda may be going to the giant’s wedding. In an attempt to attend the wedding, Ella runs from school, hoping Lucinda may undo her enchantment and return Ella’s free will. Ella is assisted by a gang of elves, who provide her with provisions and presents for the trip. Ella is stopped by some ogres, but she uses her words to lull them into slumber. Ella is told not to flee, so even in this situation, she is powerless to go away. Thankfully, Ella and the ogres are found by Charmont and his knights, who then assist Ella in getting to the giant’s wedding. When Ella runs into Lucinda during the wedding, Lucinda tells Ella to cherish her servitude rather than breaking the enchantment.

In the meanwhile, Sir Peter chooses to wed the affluent Dame Olga after losing all of his money in business ventures. Dame Olga is incensed to learn that Sir Peter wed her merely as a result of his losing his riches. Ella becomes a servant as she gets her retribution. Ella corresponds with Charmont, or Char, through letters while carrying out her responsibilities at home. Char proposes marriage to Ella. Despite her love for him, she believes that a marriage would enable her to wield him and the entire kingdom as a weapon due to her curse.

She nonetheless dresses up and goes to three of his balls because she wants to see him. A pumpkin, lizards, a rat, and mice are transformed into a carriage, footmen, a coach driver, and horses by Lucinda the fairy. Ella is revealed by Hattie during the last ball. Ella runs away, taking one of her glass shoes with her. After discovering the slipper, Char demands that she wed him when he gets home. She summons the courage to defy his orders, ending Lucinda’s enchantment, however, she is still worried about the security of the realm.

After being set free, Ella tells Char about the spell and expresses her concern that it may be used against him. She may wed him now that she is free and poses no threat to the prince of the realm. They had a happy ever after together, living in the castle.

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