Children of Virtue and Vengeance

“I stumble back as magic bubbles inside me. My legs go numb. Magic shackles me to my past, dragging me under despite how hard I pull.”

This metaphor—comparing Zélie’s magic to chains anchoring her to the past—conveys the trauma that she experienced during the ritual in the temple. Even though she survived it, she still feels as if she is suffocating as she struggles to feel safe and free under its power. This idea conveys The Cyclical Nature of Violence, as she must continue her fight without time to process the violence of her past.

“The girl’s mother runs into the rain, pulling a thick yellow shawl over her head. She grabs her daughter’s wrist, muscles tensing when she spots my white hair.”

This quote shows the hypocrisy of the noble class. When Zélie sees a girl in the street, she notes the white streak in her hair—a mark that the girl now has magic. However, despite her own daughter possessing magic, the child’s mother still reacts coldly to Zélie. While the nobles would like to blame their fear of magic for their mistreatment of the maji, the reality is that they are now just treated as a lower class of people, with magic having little to do with why.

“I tuck away my white streaking, wishing I could just chop the lock from my hair. Tzain may not notice the way Zélie looks at it, but I always catch the snarl it brings to her face.”

This quote shows Amari’s observant nature as she notices the way that Zélie views her new white streak and therefore her magic ability. It also shows the beginning of a divide between the two girls, as Zélie does indeed harbor resentment over the fact that Amari and the other tîtáns have gained magical ability despite not having it in their history. For maji, magic is a part of their past and therefore sacred to them, and it was handed to their enemies overnight.

“‘Don’t be your father, Inan.’ She takes my arm. ‘Be the king he couldn’t.’”

This quote from Nehanda implies that she agrees with her son: He needs to be a better king by helping everyone and putting an end to The Cyclical Nature of Violence. However, along with Inan, the reader slowly realizes the truth about Nehanda—that she will stop at nothing to put an end to the maji. When she says, “Be the king he couldn’t,” she actually means that she wants Inan to finish her work of ending the maji.

“I always thought it would be Amari who prepared me in my quarters. Father who handed over the crown when his time was done. I wanted this for him. I wanted to make him proud.”

This quote reflects the duality of the trauma that Inan faced at the hands of his father. Although he has admitted that his father was wrong and that he does not want to rule like him, ironically, he also feels sorrow at the fact that his father is not here to see him be crowned king. The repetition of “I wanted” suggests that Inan can no longer have what he wants, and this pains him.

“For so long we’ve been defenseless against the havoc the maji wreak, but now the gods have blessed us as well. We’re powerful enough to annihilate them, Inan. The only way to achieve lasting peace is to cleanse the maggots from this land.”

Nehanda makes her intentions clear as she speaks to Inan before he goes before the nobles. She does not consider the maji as part of Orïsha, and it has little to do with their magic ability; rather, she sees them as an inferior group that they should take the opportunity to kill. This is in stark contrast to Inan’s feelings, establishing her as an antagonist not only to the maji but also to Inan.

“‘Our incantations are the history of our people. They’re the very thing your father tried to destroy!’ Her chest heaves up and down and she shakes her head. ‘Titans have already stolen our magic. You can’t steal this, too.’”

Zélie reveals her hostility toward Amari here but also Amari’s lack of understanding. Amari sees incantations simply as a weapon to better wield her magic but fails to understand how much it means to Zélie and her people. As Amari is caught in The Cyclical Nature of Violence, she is unable to comprehend what use magic would have other than as a weapon to gain power.

“[Ojore] touches the burns on his neck, and his face twists with pain. I can almost see the flames burning in his mind.”

This observation from Inan shows that Ojore, too, is stuck in the past and in The Cyclical Nature of Violence. When Ojore touches the burns, he is struck with painful memories, as he also suffers from the trauma that killed his family. In response to that tragedy, however, he became a warrior—if only to destroy the maji, as he blames them for his family’s death. At this time, Ojore does not understand that Nehanda was at fault.

“Even before Mother interrupted the rally, the support of the Orïshans didn’t touch the boundless joy of these maji. I wonder what it would be like to be embraced like that. To actually have a place where you belong.”

This quote characterizes Amari in two important ways. First, it shows that she is beginning to understand the maji. Though she previously argued with Zélie about the use and importance of magic, she is now beginning to understand that it is part of the history that unites them and gives them a place to belong, as Orïsha has always turned its back on them. Second, it shows how void of belonging Amari’s life has been and lends understanding to her obsession over the throne, as that is all her family has ever cared about.

“As we walk, I think of the other elders and maji, what their lives might’ve been like before the Raid. Mâzeli’s already told me how the monarch took both his parents away. How his sister Arunima perished from grief.”

As Zélie connects with Kâmaru and his past, it is one of the first times that she has been able to consider the perspective of the other maji. She has always been so consumed by her own grief that she has given little thought to their shared grief—to go along with their shared history.

“How long can both sides keep going like this before we destroy Orïsha?”

This rhetorical question that Inan asks himself is important for his understanding and eventual break from The Cyclical Nature of Violence. While he agrees with his mother about destroying the temple, he also is beginning to realize that each act ends with more destruction—the destruction of a country that he would like to rule. While his mother does not care about the maji or their culture, he realizes that continued violence is only going to continue the cycle.

“You are the elders now. It is not my place to tell you what to do. But you should know that there are weapons so great, they shouldn’t be used.”

Mama Agba’s words foreshadow her own death. She tries to warn them that creating cênters will not be worth the price, yet Zélie does so twice—first with Mâzeli and then with Roën—and both end in the death of someone she loves. This reflects the dangers of The Cyclical Nature of Violence. Unable to see another solution other than power, Zélie lacks the wisdom of Mama Agba, turning to the most dangerous weapon she has in order to survive.

“She steps onto the stone bridge, abandoning me for the second mountain. I don’t understand why she can’t see beyond her rage. Why don’t any of the Iyika realize this is what’s best?”

Ironically, the very thing that Amari is accusing Zélie of here—not being able to see beyond herself to see the bigger picture—is also the thing from which Amari suffers. While Zélie is too bent on violence and revenge, Amari is too blinded by her need for the throne and her love for her brother. This conveys the theme of Love Versus Duty, as each is unable to find the balance necessary to succeed.

“You cannot blame Zélie for her actions any more than you can blame Inan for his past mistakes. You have to look beyond the surface if you truly want to achieve the peace you seek.”

Mama Agba’s conversation with Amari conveys the theme of The Blurred Line Between Good and Evil. While Amari holds anger toward Zélie for destroying the scroll, she fails to see the irony: She cannot understand Zélie’s perspective and forgives her brother, yet she is angry at Zélie for not understanding her perspective. Mama Agba’s point is that people are both good and evil and that peace will never be as simple as destroying the bad people in the world.

“All these years I thought Father was a monster, but what if ruling this kingdom forced him to act that way?”

Amari considers whether to go through with her plan to poison the villagers, comparing herself to her father and the actions he took to destroy the maji as king. For the first time, she empathizes with her father, exploring The Blurred Line Between Good and Evil and how difficult it can be to understand someone’s motivations. At the same time, Amari suggests that, should she go through with her plan, she, too, would become monstrous.

“I flinch and push Roën back, hyperventilating as the world unravels around me. Though I fight it, I see Saran’s face. I feel his knife digging into my flesh. […] Everything I fight forces its way out, spinning out of my control.”

As Zélie attempts to get close to Roën, sure that she has feelings for him, all the violence that she has oppressed comes crashing back into her brain. This reveals her inability to properly face her past—both because of her own inability to do so and because of the nature of war. Constantly in a fight for their survival, she is unable to properly stop and process what she has been through.

“You survived the Raid. The guards. You survived the wrath of a king. You’re not a victim, Zélie. You’re a survivor! Stop running way!”

Roën yells at Zélie about her constant struggle with the past. He is trying to force her to understand that what happened to her does not have to only be used to cause grief; it can also be used as motivation to stay and fight. The repetition of “you” and “you’re” at the beginning of nearby and successive clauses highlights the contrast between the words “victim” and “survivor,” suggesting that it is Zélie’s self-perception that is in need of change.

“As I rise, it all falls away. Every ounce of pain. Mâzeli’s final words. Baba’s smile. The chain they wrapped around Mama’s neck. I choke as I leave every scar they carved on my heart behind and break through the water’s surface. Live. I want to live.”

Zélie repeatedly questions whether she wants to stay and fight and whether she even wants to continue to live, given all that she has suffered. However, when faced with the opportunity to let go, she fights for her own survival and leaves her “scars” behind. This moment marks true change for Zélie, as she is able to balance Love Versus Duty and place aside her horrific memories to move forward with those in her life whom she still loves.

“We did this to him. We poisoned him with all our hate. Now we shall pay the price. I can’t even pretend he isn’t justified. He deserves retribution for all the blood on our hands. All of Orïsha does.”

This quote marks the moment of change for Inan in the text. For the first time, he is recognizing that the root of Orïsha’s problem is not solely his mother or father or the maji; rather, it is the monarchy itself and the oppression that it stands for. These thoughts after seeing Ojore’s despair at discovering the truth about Nehanda articulate his motivation for poisoning his mother and his willingness to die when facing Zélie.

“He attacked the king. That foolish boy killed himself.”

This quote from Nehanda is a key moment in the theme of The Blurred Line Between Good and Evil, as well as in Inan’s character development. As Inan grieves over Ojore’s death, his mother utterly fails at having any sympathy or being in any way apologetic for killing someone who, essentially, is a son to her. Nehanda is represented here as purely evil, and Inan finally recognizes this.

“He flinches at my words. In him, I see what I’ve lost. The warmth I shall never feel again. Watching him walk away is the final knife in my heart.”

Even after nearly killing his sister, Amari still expects forgiveness from Tzain. This reveals her ignorance as a character; even after many arguments with Zélie, she is still unable to see things from anyone else’s perspective. Additionally, it shows the repercussions of what she has held steadfast to throughout the novel: duty over love.

“In our magic, I see the answer. What Oya wanted me to understand all along. If we use the moonstone to bind our lifeforces, we can save the maji from the monarchy’s grasp.”

Although Zélie finally understands on a literal level what Oya’s message meant, there is also a deeper meaning: It is the love that the maji share for each other and their devotion that will allow them to save their people. It is not just the strength or violence that they utilize, but rather the way that they combine their power through their connection—something the monarchy will never have as long as it rules through violence.

“‘I couldn’t run [my crew] even if I wanted to.’ His eyes close when he exhales. ‘Compromised myself and my men the moment I fell in love with you.’”

At this moment, Roën chooses love over duty as he steps back from being a mercenary to be with Zélie. This is a stark change for Roën, making him a dynamic character. He previously refused to help Amari without payment and even worked with Amari’s mother. But now, he has given up his desire for money to be with Zélie.