Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Systems of Oppression
Cycles of Violence
Tradition and History
Love vs. Duty
Summary
Analysis
Amari rushes up the stairs of the sanctuary, horrified. Healers work on injured maji on the grass. When Amari asks a Healer for Zélie, the Healer sends her to the infirmary and says that Zélie and Mâzeli weren’t breathing. Amari enters the infirmary in time to hear Zélie howl with grief as Mâzeli dies. She remembers again that Zélie said Inan only does the right thing when it’s easy. Mama Agba tries to comfort Zélie, but Zélie pushes Mama Agba and shrieks that she should’ve died. Zélie claws at her skin and screams as Khani and the Healers sedate her. Amari thinks she’s ruined everything.
Amari has had to witness several episodes of Zélie’s grief at this point, so she’s well acquainted with how hard losing people hits Zélie in particular. This makes Amari feel even worse about what she’s done, as it makes it clear that she’s just piling more grief and injustice upon a person who has already experienced so much loss. This is the plight that Zélie spoke about earlier in the novel: as a maji, she’s many of her loved ones and will lose many more.
Themes
