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
Amari stands and watches the party. Nâo hands her a cup of wine and tells Amari that if she becomes queen, she has to throw more parties like this. Amari puts her cup down, thinking that Saran wouldn’t drink before battle. She wanders through the crowd until she reaches Mama Agba, who plays the role of a fortuneteller. Seeing Amari, Mama Agba mysteriously predicts that Amari will see great victories and great romance. Tzain comes up behind Amari and leads her away to dance. Then, Amari takes Tzain with her to get some fresh air.
Even if Amari is making the effort to be the compassionate queen of Orïsha she wants to be, thinking so much about what Saran would do in her position does raise more questions about whether Amari is truly genuine in all of this. It suggests that deep down, Amari is still suffering by following what Saran taught her: to prize duty over everything else, including the fun she could have tonight.
Themes
Tzain laughs when Amari leads him to her chambers. They sit on her balcony and stare out at the sanctuary. Tzain tells Amari that he’s proud of her and Amari attempts a kiss, but bumps into Tzain’s chin. They kiss, but Amari flashês on Zélie’s grief and pulls away. She asks if Zélie will forgive her. With a sigh, Tzain says that Zélie needs space, but Amari is doing the right thing. They kiss again and Amari starts to take Tzain’s tunic off. He tells Amari that they can’t have sex just because she’s is afraid of dying. Amari shouts that she loves him.
Here, Amari is finally able to connect with Tzain in a situation where her being a cênter doesn’t matter much, if at all. She’s able to be just a person to him, and a person he loves at that. This gives Amari a taste of what it feels like to be intimate with someone on her terms, and how that kind of intimacy might influence her decisions going forward—especially if her love for Tzain goes against what she believes is her duty.
Themes
