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
The elders tunnel through the mountains around Ibadan for four days until Kâmarū hits on the underground caves. Dakarai summons stars and can see that Nehanda and Inan are in Ibadan, along with the villagers. Nâo asks who’s going to dive with her. Roën and Tzain offer to go, but Amari says they need someone with magic. Zélie offers to take Tzain’s place. The elders disperse, but Jahi approaches Amari and quietly asks what their plan is. Amari whispers that they’ll head for the mountains when everyone’s asleep. Jahi relays the plan to Imani, who nods. Amari tells herself it won’t come to that as she thanks Zélie for going. Zélie says she won’t let Tzain get hurt. Nâo kisses Khani and conjures a bubble. Roën and Zélie jump in with her and begin to walk away.
Amari clearly has something planned here that she doesn’t want to have to carry out. It’s likely violent and questionable in more than one way, but the fact that Amari doesn’t want it to be the first line of attack suggests that she’s still trying to act in a way opposite of Nehanda. She’s still trying to look for peace in non-violent ways—or at least, in ways that are minimally violent, which presumably, digging in through the underground caves will be.
Themes
