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
Zélie and Mâzeli are thrilled as their shadows destroy soldiers. A siren blares and the monarchy’s forces retreat. The Iyika celebrate while Zélie raises herself into the air. From there, she can see a single cart holding Jokôye and two-dozen soldiers coming toward them. Zélie screams at the Iyika to retreat as Jokôye raises her hands: Jokôye is a cênter and is harnessing the wind. Na’imah captures ryders so the Iyika can get back to the sanctuary faster, but Zélie and Mâzeli take cover. A tornado explodes the forest and Jokôye prepares for a second attack. Titans lie dead around her, but more run to take their places. Mâzeli tells Zélie that they have to connect in order to fight her, and Zélie knows he’s right. She whispers the incantation and violet light shoots from their eyes.
The fact that Jokôye (and Nehanda, for that matter) kill their tîtáns as they harness their powers speaks to their ruthlessness and their lack of compassion for any life that’s not their own. They’re even willing to kill their own people in order to win and gain more power, something that situates them as direct products of Saran’s teachings. The only love they experience seems to be for power, and they only value people who might be useful to them (as when Nehanda turned on Amari when Amari proved herself unwilling to play along).
Themes
