Something Wicked This Way Comes

Charles Halloway sees a fundamental difference between Will and Jim. He thinks that Jim is the type of boy who sees the blows before they fall and gets out of their way, while Will is the sort who questions why blows fall. Jim does not ask why they fall, he simply knows that they do. Later we learn that Jim never looks away from the world while Will always looks beyond and around it. Even Will himself thinks that Jim acts while he thinks. Another difference between Jim and Will is that Jim acts and thinks alone, independently, while Will is dependent upon others.

If Mr. Dark, the Witch and the host of characters involved with the carnival are the only ones who have magic, then it seems clear that magic is a bad thing. However, the forces of good also seem to have some sort of magic on their side. After all, shattering the Mirror Maze with laughter, killing the Witch with a smile, and killing Mr. Dark with kindness seem to be somewhat unbelievable. It may be that the magic of good comes through normal actions, not spells. For laughter is magical in this book, as is loving. Will and his father bring Jim back to life through happiness. One could argue that magic is bad because people will always use it to control others, but then what of the magic that we use all of the time, such as the ability of laughter to heal. It seems that magic is a part of life, and, that, like people, can do good or ill depending on the circumstances and the intentions of the person using it.