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 tenses as Inan yells for her. He throws off his armor and says he wants to talk. Zélie snaps and flies at him with her staff. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have scars and would still have Baba. As Zélie strikes at Inan, she feels Baba’s blood as well as Inan’s kiss. She thinks of the kingdom they were going to rule together as she twists Inan’s sword away and extends the blades in her staff, slicing his side. Zélie pins him to the ground and Inan apologizes. Zélie thinks that with him gone, she’ll be free and able to breathe again. Mâzeli calls for Zélie’s attention as Ojore arrives and slices at Zélie. Inan blocks him and Zélie grabs Mâzeli. The maji run.
Zélie’s belief that she’ll be free once Inan is gone reflects her understanding of how violence works: it’s essential, she believes, to respond in kind and make others feel the same kind of pain as she did. Talking doesn’t bring back Baba or erase the brutal scars on her back, but killing Inan will give Zélie some sense of satisfaction. What Zélie doesn’t entirely understand, however, is that this war won’t end just because she kills Inan. This conflict is bigger than just him.
Themes
