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
Inan tries to shout the order to stop the attack, but he can barely whisper. The Iyika overpower everything Nehanda’s army tries. Ojore finds Inan as Na’imah turns the soldiers’ ryders rabid. Ojore insists he couldn’t lie to Nehanda; she ordered this attack. A tîtán pulls Inan onto his ryder and races for the back of the lines. They meet Nehanda, who brushes off Inan’s insistence that they need to call off the attack. She motions to Jokôye’s force getting close and says the Iyika will be finished soon.
Even if Inan could actually speak here, it’s unlikely that Nehanda would call off her soldiers just because Inan said so—this war, for her, is much bigger than anything Inan wants, especially when it seems silly and misguided from the start. Ojore’s betrayal shows that his hatred of maji makes him focus on his duty more than his friendship with Inan.
Themes
