Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Summary

Chapters 46–49

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Summary Chapters 46–49

The Mirror Maze briefly bothers Charles Halloway, but Will shows his confidence. He believes in his father more than anything else, and his faith in Mr. Halloway is enough to overcome the effect that the maze has upon him. With Will's help, Charles Halloway is able to see the maze for what it is: another trick, like the spell of the Witch, that has only the power over him that he gives it. And he denies that power because he no longer believes in it. His laugh shows that the power once held by the Mirror Maze is no longer there. Like the Witch, he has disarmed it, shown its magic to be nothing but a sinister trick. It is the power of belief that Mr. Halloway demonstrates. The Witch, the Mirror Maze, and his power all stem from the same thing—belief. But whereas his power comes from a belief in himself and therefore cannot be taken away be anyone once he fully affirms it, the power of the Witch and the maze came from others' beliefs in their powers. Once those beliefs were taken away that power was gone. Will's belief in his father also gives him power, and it seems there is nothing that can stand up to Charles Halloway once he truly believes in himself. He believes in himself simply to the extent that he does not think that anyone else has control over his actions and he is happy with who he is. Those two features make him dangerous to the forces of evil, because they count on controlling others by making them believe that they are under control as well as manipulating others' unhappiness.

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