Character Clues

Character Analysis

Props

Who would Basta be without his knife, or Dustfinger without his juggling supplies? Not the same characters, that's for sure. Basta's always got his knife in hand, symbolizing just how happy he is to threaten people at Capricorn's command. At one point the narrator says, "At these words from Capricorn, Basta lovingly stroked his knife" (17.82)—emphasis on lovingly. Needless to say, when Dustfinger steals Basta's knife, it humiliates the brute.

Dustfinger isn't satisfied with just swiping Basta's knife, either, and demeans the thug by threatening him with his own weapon: "Basta was staring at its familiar blade in amazement, as if he couldn't grasp that the faithless thing was pointing at his own chest" (49.57). Way to add insult to injury, right? Ouch. The fact that this is a big deal moment for Basta shows us that Basta regards the knife of an extension of himself (and as such, of his desire and willingness to do harm).

Actions

We know that Capricorn is a very bad man because he does very bad things—but it's not all murder and mayhem all the time in Capricorn-land. No, even his smallest actions reveal that he's cruel. For instance, when he first meets Meggie, he speculates that she'll be a useful servant in a few years if they can manage to fatten her up a bit. Check it out:

He felt her arm with his long fingers. He wore gold rings on them, three on each hand. Meggie tried to pull away, but Capricorn was gripping her tightly as his pale eyes examined her. Just as he might have looked at a fish. A poor little fish wriggling on a hook. (14.17)

Ugh, dehumanizing much? The way Capricorn acts toward Meggie tells us what he thinks of her (and probably most other people): she barely counts as human in his opinion, unless she's useful to him.

On the flip side, we know that Dustfinger is desperate for a chance to return to his own world because of how he acts. When Capricorn has all the remaining copies of Inkheart burned, Dustfinger flips out and tries to rescue a copy by, that's right, reaching into a bonfire:

Without hesitating, he reached into the flames, but the book he plucked out was already burning like a torch. Dustfinger dropped it on the flagstone floor and reached into the fire again, with his other hand this time. (17.69)

That's pretty hardcore, and it definitely shows how Dustfinger's actions reveal his priorities. Pro tip: don't try this at home, Shmoopsters.

Physical Appearances

How characters look in Inkheart tells us a bit about who they are, how they're feeling, and how others perceive them. For example, when Meggie first meets Elinor, she thinks Elinor has "cold pebble eyes" (4.33), which clues us in to the fact that Meggie doesn't like Elinor and Elinor doesn't like Meggie. Otherwise Meggie would have interpreted Elinor's features differently.

Basta's face also gives us some clues as to his state of being. When Dustfinger mocks him for being afraid to take him on in the crypt, Basta's face turns "red with rage" (49.56), and moments later, when Dustfinger disarms him and is holding his own knife at his throat, "Basta's face was white. All the furious red had ebbed out of it" (49.61). This is such a drastic change physically that we know for sure Basta is having a strong response internally to this tussle with Dustfinger.