The Neverending Story

The Neverending Story Summary | Plot Summary

Rich with symbolism, The Neverending Story is a classic children's tale designed to teach young people to come of age emotionally. The lessons are painless for they are couched in fantastical imagery and wild tales of adventure. Written originally in German by a German author, the story is an important contribution to literature because it addresses the dangers of tyranny. While Adolf Hitler and his Nazis are not directly mentioned in the story, the tale nonetheless reveals an understanding of the emotionally stunted mindset that leads dictators to hunger for power. Through the character of young Bastian Balthazar Bux, the reader gains an intuitive understanding of how life's tragedies can lead one to commit atrocious acts. The author, through Bastian, is reaching out to the youth of the world, telling them that the journey from pain to joy is achievable. The author shows that men like Hitler are little boys who never grew up; he tries to teach children to complete the emotional journey to adulthood so that they will not misuse their power in later years.

Bastian's character is drawn with compassion. Bastian loses his mother at a young age. Emotionally numbed by her loss, his father is unable to show love for Bastian. Bastian is deeply hurt by his surviving parent's neglect and lacks the social skills to interact well with his peers at school. Any child who has suffered the torments of childhood bullies can identify with Bastian. Bastian turns to books for solace, and develops a wonderful skill for making up stories. One day Bastian finds and steals a magic book called The Neverending Story. He literally loses himself in the fantastical tale. Bastian runs away from home and enters the mythical land of Fantastica, a land contained in the magic book. Bastian's ability to tell stories saves the inhabitants of Fantastica and for the first time in his young life, Bastian learns how it feels to be admired.

The Empress of Fantastica, Moon Child, presents Bastian with a magical amulet, which causes all of Bastian's wishes to come true. At first all of Bastian's wishes center on being powerful, admired, and feared by others. Having been ignored, left out, and teased for years, Bastian hungers to be worshipped by the Fantasticans. He befriends a boy his age called Atreyu. Atreyu represents Bastian's best qualities, but as Bastian falls further under the spell of greed and power, Bastian becomes paranoid and thinks that Atreyu is out to get him. Noble Atreyu must fight to save Bastian from himself when Bastian misuses his magical powers and tries to crown himself Emperor of Fantastica. Bastian seeks revenge against Atreyu, but his greedy wishes all backfire on him and leave him alone and friendless in Fantastica.

Bastian begins to realize that his desire to be better than everyone is causing his isolation. He gradually learns to wish to be accepted for who he truly is. Bastian realizes that the only reason he needs to feel superior is because in his heart he feels inferior. Bastian has one wish left, and he uses it wisely. He wishes to learn how to love both himself and others. This wish sets him on a new path. He journeys deep into Yor's Minroud and finds a picture to guide him. It is a picture of his father, encased in ice. Yor explains that this picture is a fragment from Bastian's own mind. Bastian realizes the man in the picture is crying out to Bastian, begging him not to leave, telling him he doesn't know how to get out of the ice. This picture touches Bastian's heart and he realizes he does not want to spend his life in a fantasyland; he wants to go home. Bastian gives his magic medallion to Atreyu; this decision allows Bastian to drink from the Water of Life. These powerful waters open Bastian's heart to love and allow him to take that love back home, where his newfound ability to love opens the door to his father's frozen heart.