Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Blood and Bone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Prejudice and Inequality
Duty to Family vs. Self
Faith and Tradition
Cycles of Violence
Summary
Analysis
As they enter the encampment, Zélie is surprised to see a thriving, hidden community of divîners. She is also confused that Inan tried to save her. She feels like she’s seeing him in a new light. Zu heals the wounds that Zélie acquired in the battle outside.
Zélie has never seen a thriving divîner encampment before, and it is eye opening. She sees how the divîners support each other, serving almost like an extended family. Their shared struggles and beliefs and abilities bring them together. Zélie also sees that Inan is breaking away from his father’s influence, demonstrated by the fact that he was prepared to fight for her, rather than against her.
Themes
Questions tumble out of Zélie, but then Amari stumbles in with Tzain holding onto her for support. As she heals him, Zu begins to explain that she and a few others barely escaped after Saran attacked. Inan and Amari exchange guilty looks.
Both Inan and Amari see yet another example of the pain their father has caused in the kingdom. Seeing these personal impacts makes both of them feel less loyal to their father and more guilty even to be associated with him, because they know his actions do not align with their own senses of right and wrong.
Themes
Crying, Zu apologizes for the hurt she inflicted on Tzain. She felt as if she had no choice. Zélie wants to be angry, but she knows that she’s no better. She would have killed the masked boy if Inan hadn’t stopped her. She knows they were just fighting to keep their people safe. Zu is still crying, and Zélie pulls her into an embrace. They forgive each other, and Zu and her friends volunteer to help in the quest.
But first, says Zu, they should hold the Àyojo festival, a traditional celebration of the gods. She suggests they could have each divîner touch the scroll, unleashing their powers. The suggestion makes Zélie hesitate. Even though the restoration of magic has long been her goal, now she worries about the potential for violence and for the sunstone to fall into the wrong hands. Reluctantly, she agrees.
Zu’s commitment to divîner traditions—even though they are outlawed—is one of the things that has made the encampment such a thriving, supportive community. Having seen firsthand how dangerous magic can be, Zélie now begins to question whether restoring magic is really the right thing. She worries that the reintroduction of that kind of power will only lead to more violence and killing. She is tempted to withhold power to try to prevent more death.
Themes
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Tzain confronts Inan, saying that he will not trust him. When Zélie tries to convince him, Tzain says she’s stupid for trusting the person who burned their village and tried to kill her. He says that Zélie is always making mistakes.
Tzain has a clear set of priorities, and his family and community are at the top. He feels responsibility to his people above all else. For this reason, he cannot accept Inan as an ally, and chastises Zélie for doing so.
Themes
