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
Dr. Erland is screening potential cyborg candidates for their research. He decides to give one older man who has a son a placebo rather than letumosis. His assistant, Fateen, asks why he’s been turning away so many candidates. Another assistant, Li, then informs Dr. Erland that they have a volunteer—a teenage girl. Erland grows excited and immediately goes to the room in which Cinder is being held. She is unconscious and fastened to the table.
Dr. Erland’s different reactions to the older man versus Cinder hint at the fact that he is manipulating the cyborg draft for his own purposes. It seems that he’s searching for someone who fits a specific type (seemingly a teenage girl, given his excitement about Cinder), though it’s not yet clear what his motivations are.
Themes
