Sophie Hatter

Sophie Hatter's backstory involves being the eldest of three sisters, leading her to believe she's destined for a mediocre life, running her family's hat shop in Market Chipping. After her father's death and her stepmother's remarriage, she works in the shop until the Witch of the Waste curses her to become an old woman. This event forces her to leave home, seek refuge in Wizard Howl's moving castle, and ultimately embark on a quest to break the curse and discover her own hidden strengths and magical abilities. As the eldest Hatter sister, Sophie internalizes the fairy tale trope that she's "doomed to be a failure," contrasting with her younger sisters, Martha and Lettie. Her mother died when Sophie was very young, and her father remarried an apprentice named Fanny. She works diligently in the family hat shop, a skilled seamstress and hat maker. The Witch of the Waste, mistaking Sophie for her younger sister Lettie, curses her into the shape of an old woman. Unable to reveal the curse, Sophie leaves her shop and heads into the Wasteland. Exhausted, she finds her way to Wizard Howl's moving castle, beginning her true adventure. Despite her self-doubt, Sophie possesses a unique magical talent: the ability to talk to and bring inanimate objects to life. Sophie's initial belief in her own insignificance and unattractiveness is a core part of her character. Her elderly form, paradoxically, frees her to be more outspoken and confident, allowing her true nature to shine through. Her journey is about overcoming her internal feelings of failure and recognizing her own inner power.