Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cinder, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bravery and Sacrifice
Power, Greed, and Evil
Stereotypes and Discrimination
Secrecy and Manipulation
Resourcefulness, Kindness, and Perseverance
Summary
Analysis
Kai watches as Queen Levana descends from her Lunar spacecraft. She wears a long white veil and dress, and she has auburn hair, unblemished ivory skin and red lips. Seeing her, Kai thinks that she’s unnaturally beautiful. Nevertheless, he welcomes her to Earth, kissing the back of her hand. In that instant, he realizes that he loves her and wants to do anything for her—but he when he digs his fingernails into his palms, he is able to shake off this feeling. Torin commends Kai on resisting Levana’s glamour, but he notes that it will only get harder.
Here, Kai experiences the Lunar glamour for the first time, demonstrating how Queen Levana can literally manipulate his thoughts and feelings. But, as his reaction illustrates, the effect is fleeting—and when Kai is able to snap out of it, he only dislikes Levana even more for it. This illustrates the self-defeating nature of this manipulation, because it has the opposite effect from what Queen Levana intends, making Kai trust her even less.
Themes
