Culture is a hard thing to pin down. It’s interwoven in conversations and actions, visible only in the perspectives of the participants. Where nature and nurture is concerned, culture nurtures a growing society to think, believe, and act a certain way. In the case of Inkheart, we’re introduced to two different cultures: the fantasy of villains and the reality of the modern world. These two have little in common, which provokes many conflicts.
Capricorn’s Men in the Real World
We learn a lot about Capricorn and his horde within the first few chapters. Their priorities are obedience and treasure; everything else is nonsense. None of them can read, making books obsolete. This makes Capricorn a veritable god, able to read, write, and scheme. Men run the camp, women confined to servitude at risk of punishment. Only one woman has higher standing, probably the only one Capricorn may fear.
Dropping this middle age, villanous mindset in the middle of the countryside kept them pretty hidden. However, Capricorn didn’t stay within his bounds. They captured the town by attacking in the night, terrorizing the locals. Rumor spread of demons inhabiting the village. Once everyone was gone, the people continued to steer clear. They’d probably see trucks, maybe guns. But the people of our world knew something would attack them if they strayed too far. This gave Capricorn free reign to hunt for Mortimer and his daughter.
Meggie’s Ideals in the World of Inkheart
I’d say the culture Meggie grew up in was fairly similar to any kid today. Minus all the technology. The world was full of opportunity, but the human tendency for secrecy meant she didn’t get the answers she really wanted. Primarily what happened to her mother. Nevertheless, Meggie went to school, read books, and made sure her dad ate three times a day. The culture she absorbed had less guidelines between parent and child. Mortimer could put his foot down, but in their lonely pair, they were equals of mind and status.
This dynamic changes when Meggie is introduced to the thugs of Inkheart. They take her father and burn Elinor’s library. When she follows them, they take her captive and keep her locked away. Her only use is bait until they realize Mortimer’s gift passed to her. Then she’s a crown jewel in the eyes of these monsters. As a prisoner, she wasn’t forced to work like the other women. Nevertheless, they kept her quiet and on edge, never knowing if her father would come to her rescue. Freedom to bondage is difficult to swallow, especially when you’re taught that the only thing holding you back is yourself. It’s probably this mindset that helped her silently defy her captors.
Colliding Cultures
It doesn’t take books coming to life to explore the intricacies of two cultures colliding. America was built on the backs of different mindsets, traditions, and religions uniting for the cause of freedom. Nowadays, the diverse cultures of before have taken a Western approach, meaning an African American has less in common with a born and bred African. To walk upon a different continent, sometimes even a different state, is to insert your culture into another place.