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
When Cinder returns home, she’s furious that Adri had her arrested like a common criminal. Adri asks what Cinder was doing at the palace today, why she took a hover to the outskirts of the city, and why she stole 600 univs on a new foot. Cinder realizes that Adri screened Iko’s memory and has been tracking her ID chip. Adri says that she’s sold off some of Cinder’s belongings so that they can pay for a plaque for Peony’s funeral.
Adri is in a position of power over Cinder as her legal guardian—but rather than using her role to protect and support her stepdaughter, she uses it to take advantage of her. Even though Cinder is the only one who works and only spent money to buy a necessary prosthetics for herself, Adri sells Cinder’s things for her own benefit. The power she has only makes her greedy for more.
Themes
Adri tells Cinder that she isn’t a part of this family—she’s not even human, she can’t even cry. Adri says it isn’t fair that Cinder is alive while Peony is dead. Cinder says it’s not her fault that Peony died, or that she’s a cyborg, or that she’s a part of the family. Cinder says that she can earn the 600 univs back, but Adri asserts that Cinder can’t be trusted anymore. Adri says that Cinder won’t be allowed to go to the ball, and orders her to leave her foot so that Adri can find a cheaper replacement.
Here, Adri ties her cruel treatment of Cinder to the fact that Cinder is a cyborg. The combination of her greed and prejudice against cyborgs (she believes that Cinder is subhuman because she has robotic body parts) enables Adri to mistreat her stepdaughter, to the point that she’s even physically disabling Cinder by taking away her prosthetic foot to earn money.
Themes
Cinder leaves, furious, but she can’t do anything about it. She legally belongs to Adri. She just needs time—a week or two until the car is ready. In the bedroom, Cinder sees some of the useless parts that Adri couldn’t sell—including Iko’s personality chip. Cinder gives a dry, grateful sob.
Not only has Adri sold off Cinder’s possessions but she also sold Iko for parts—leaving Cinder without her one ally. Still, these losses only push Cinder to try and escape Adri, demonstrating how she perseveres in the face of Adri’s cruelty.
Themes
