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 plays with his bronze coin. He can’t look at Nehanda. A general brings word that the Iyika are outside Lagos and Nehanda smiles at Ojore. Inan stares at Ojore’s burns. Inan excuses himself and shuts himself inside the fortress. He can’t escape the thought of Nehanda’s crimes and wonders how many will die. Inan knows he has to end this as Ojore lets himself in. Inan tells Ojore they need to call off the attack, but Ojore says that Inan doesn’t have to feel bad, since Nehanda clearly doesn’t. He reveals that he heard Nehanda’s confession. Ojore seems far away as he says that now he knows that Nehanda is the true enemy. He vows to kill her and strikes at Inan when Inan won’t let him past. Inan throws a dagger at Ojore, but Ojore stops the dagger in midair. Ashe surrounds Ojore’s fingers.
In this moment, Inan sees the true consequences of his and Nehanda’s hatred of magic, and specifically, of Nehanda’s heartlessness: his best friend is turning against him, and less than a month has passed since Amari and Zélie turned away from him too. This should show Inan that he’s inevitably going to alienate everyone he loves if he continues on this path and continues to take advice from Nehanda, but Inan’s love for his mother means that instead of distancing himself from her politically, he’s just avoiding her and hoping it all goes away.
Themes
