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Queen Levana
Dr. Erland is the head of New Beijing’s letumosis research team. Dr. Erland reveals much of his backstory to Cinder as the novel goes on: he is actually a Lunar fugitive. He fled Luna after Queen Levana killed his daughter, Crescent Moon, who was a shell (someone who’s impervious to glamour, the Lunar ability to telepathically control others). His story reveals several layers of discrimination that he has to combat: Earthens tend to stereotype Lunars as cruel and dishonest, so he has to prove to Cinder that he is trustworthy. He also recognizes the injustice of killing shells simply because they cannot be manipulated by glamour. Dr. Erland meets Cinder after Adri volunteers her for cyborg letumosis research. He runs many tests on Cinder and learns that she is also Lunar; he also reveals to Cinder that her cyborg surgery put a “lock” on her glamour, but that it is slowly coming back. Finally, he divulges to Cinder that she is Princess Selene (Queen Levana’s long-lost niece), whom he wanted to find so that she could overthrow Queen Levana. Learning this, Cinder realizes that he only set up the cyborg draft—which selects one cyborg every day as a research subject—because he knew that Princess Selene was also a cyborg and that she fled to the Eastern Commonwealth. Even though his intentions were good, he also caused major harm to a vulnerable population, underscoring the problems with secrecy and manipulation. Still, Dr. Erland is also self-sacrificial: he experiences severe psychological side effects from refusing to use his glamour on Earthens, and he works tirelessly and does experiments on himself to try and find a letumosis cure.
Dr. Erland Quotes in Cinder
The Cinder quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Erland or refer to Dr. Erland. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4 Quotes
Lunars were a society that had evolved from an Earthen moon colony centuries ago, but they weren’t human anymore. People said Lunars could alter a person’s brain—make you see things you shouldn’t see, feel things you shouldn’t feel, do things you didn’t want to do. Their unnatural power had made them a greedy and violent race, and Queen Levana was the worst of all of them.
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When Peony mentions a rumor that Prince Kai (the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, the nation on Earth where they live) is going to marry Queen Levana (the leader of Luna, the society on the moon), Cinder immediately denies it. Here, she provides some background information on Queen Levana and the Lunars (the citizens who live on the moon). First, the passage reinforces the connection between power and greed: because Lunars like Queen Levana have the unique ability to “alter a person’s brain” and thus control those around them, it makes them even more greedy and power-hungry. And because Queen Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci vol
Chapter 19 Quotes
“It is why Queen Levana is so striking to look at. Some talented Lunars, such as the queen, keep their glamour up all the time. But just as she cannot trick the netscreens, neither can she trick a mirror.”
“So they don’t like mirrors because they don’t want to see themselves?”
“Vanity is a factor but it is more a question of control. It is easier to trick others into perceiving you as beautiful if you can convince yourself you are beautiful. But mirrors have an uncanny way of telling the truth.”
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When Cinder visits Dr. Erland a second time, she starts to ask questions about Lunars, having learned that the Lunar Queen Levana will soon visit Earth. Dr. Erland’s response speaks to the way Lunars are able to use their glamour (the ability to telepathically control people) to change people’s opinions of them. For this reason, Lunars don’t like mirrors, as glamour doesn’t translate in reflections. As Dr. Erland describes here, mirrors are associated with introspection as well as truth. Lunars, who keep up a façade for others as well as themselves, avoid mirrors, thus emphasizing how the Lunars obscure the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui digniss
Chapter 24 Quotes
Instead of kissing her, he whispered, “Imagine there was a cure, but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would. you do?”
The warm air enclosed her. So close, she could catch a faint soapy smell coming from him.
His eyes bored into hers, waiting, a tinge desperate.
Cinder wet her mouth. “Ruin my life to save a million others? It’s not much of a choice.”
His lips parted—she had no choice but to look at them and then immediately back into his eyes. She could almost count the black lashes around them. But then a sadness filtered into his gaze.
“You’re right. There’s no real choice.”
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After Cinder returns Kai’s android Nainsi to him, he asks her advice about dealing with Queen Levana, who offered a cure for letumosis in exchange for marrying him. Here, he grapples with that decision, and their exchange affirms how both Kai and Cinder are virtuous because they are willing to put their own well-being at risk for the potential to help many others. Cinder has already done so in continuing to volunteer for the letumosis research (which is painful and dangerous) in the hopes of helping those afflicted, like her stepsister Peony. She even makes it explicit here that she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At
Chapter 25 Quotes
Squinting, she jutted a finger at the doctor. “You did use your mind control on me. When we met. You…you brainwashed me, just like the queen. You made me trust you.”
“Be fair. You were attacking me with a wrench.”
Her anger wavered.
Dr. Erland opened his palms to her, “I assure you, Miss Linh, in the twelve years that I have been on Earth, I have not abused the gift once, and I am paying the price for that decision every day. My mental stability, my psychological health, my very senses are failing me because l refuse to manipulate the thoughts and feelings of those around me. Not all Lunars can be trusted—I know that as well as anyone—but you can trust me.”
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When Cinder discovers that Dr. Erland is a Lunar fugitive, she begins to lose her trust in him because he hasn’t been open with her about who he is. This touches first on the self-defeating nature of secrecy and manipulation. Cinder knows that not all Lunars are untrustworthy, particularly after she found out that she herself is Lunar. And yet the fact that Dr. Erland lied and manipulated her when they first met makes her even more skeptical than if he had not lied or used his glamour (the Lunar ability to telepathically control people) on her at all. Even Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperia
“Because she was a shell.” He picked his hat off the desk and analyzed it while he spoke, his fingers tracing the herringbone pattern. “I’d agreed with the laws in the past, thought the shells were dangerous. That our society would fall apart if they were allowed to live. But not my little girl.” An ironic smile twisted up his lips. “After she was born, I wanted to run away, to bring her to Earth, but my wife was even more devoted to Her Majesty than I had been. She wanted nothing to do with the child. And so my little Crescent Moon was taken away, like all the others. He stuffed the hat back onto his head and squinted up at Cinder. “She would be about your age now.”
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As Dr. Erland explains his own backstory, he confesses to Cinder that he fled Luna because Queen Levana killed his daughter. First, the quote elaborates on Queen Levana’s cruelty: since she cannot control a shell like Crescent Moon with her “gift” (the Lunar ability to telepathically control people), she views them as a threat to her regime because she relies so heavily on manipulation to rule. This illustrates how power can breed cruelty and greed, and it shows the lengths to which Levana will go—even killing innocent children—to maintain her power. This passage also adds yet another layer of discrimination Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dic
Chapter 38 Quotes
Releasing the new prosthesis, Cinder covered her ears and buried her face against her knee. The draft. All those cyborgs. So many people convinced that it was the right thing. That it was better them than humans. Once a science project, always a science project.
And he’d only wanted to find her.
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When Dr. Erland visits Cinder in prison, he reveals that she is Princess Selene, Queen Levana’s long-lost niece—and Cinder realizes that he only set drafted cyborgs for dangerous medical research in order to find her. This is another important example of how manipulation and secrecy can cause widespread harm. Dr. Erland manipulates the Eastern Commonwealth’s policies and even sanctions government discrimination of cyborgs purely for the purpose of finding Cinder. Cinder notes how this led to even more harm: the policies justified discrimination on an individual level, as people assumed that because the government classified cyborgs as subhuman, they could Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut
If she didn’t try to stop Levana, what would happen to Kai? Though she tried to block out the question, it continued to plague her, echoing in her thoughts.
Maybe Dr. Erland was right. Maybe she had to run. Maybe she had to try.
She felt for the prosthetic limbs in her lap and wrapped her hands around them. Lifting her head, she looked up at the grate in the prison door. The guard had never closed it.
A tingle passed down her spine. A strange new electricity was thrumming beneath her skin, telling her she wasn’t just a cyborg anymore. She was Lunar now. She could make people see things that weren’t there. Feel things they shouldn’t feel. Do things they didn’t mean to do.
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After Dr. Erland visits Cinder in prison, she contemplates what to do next—she’s not sure that she can overthrow Levana as queen, as Dr. Erland encourages her to do. But here, Cinder’s characteristic determination and selflessness return once more. While she knows that it would be easier to give up, she refuses to back down. Mustering her bravery, the book once again emphasizes Cinder’s virtues by showing that she cares more about Kai’s safety and the well-being of people on Luna and Earth than about making things easier for herself. It is these wide-reaching effects on society that show how Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. D
As her hands stopped shaking, she slid the stiletto knife out from the new titanium-plated finger and maneuvered the blade against her wrist. The cut was still fresh where she’d started to remove her ID chip before, so they would not be able to track her. This time, there was no hesitation.
Soon, the whole world would be searching for her—Linh Cinder.
A deformed cyborg with a missing foot.
A Lunar with a stolen identity.
A mechanic with no one to run to, nowhere to go. But they would be looking for a ghost.
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In the book’s final passage, Cinder resolves to escape to Africa to meet up with Dr. Erland and attempt to regain the Lunar throne from Queen Levana. This passage shows Cinder’s complete transformation from the identity she once knew to her newly-revealed identity as Princess Selene. In this transformation, Cinder implicitly acknowledges how much this hidden identity has hurt her—if she had known who she was earlier, she might have been able to use this information to her advantage and join together with Kai to overthrow Levana. But because of the secrecy surrounding her background and childhood, she was unable Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi
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Dr. Erland Character Timeline in Cinder
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Erland appears in Cinder. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7
Dr. Erland is screening potential cyborg candidates for their research. He decides to give one older man...
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Chapter 8
...gloves and boots; she thinks that she is essentially a machine. From behind a wall, Dr. Erland talks to Cinder, asking her to cooperate. Cinder protests that she didn’t sign up for...
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...her brain. There’s no pain, but she squirms at the invasion inside her head. Next, Dr. Erland tells her that a med-droid is going to inject her with a diluted solution of...
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Chapter 9
Li reports to Dr. Erland that Cinder’s condition has stabilized, and that they can expect signs of stage two the...
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Chapter 10
...at the netscreen that contains her holographic image. Suddenly, the door opens behind her, and Dr. Erland enters. He introduces himself as the leading scientist on the letumosis research team. Cinder raises...
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Chapter 11
Dr. Erland shows Cinder what is unusual about her biometrics: the letumosis microbes have disappeared. He tells...
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Dr. Erland tells Cinder that with her help, they could save hundreds of thousands of lives. They...
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Chapter 12
...denial that his father will die soon. He says that he’s going to go find Dr. Erland .
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Chapter 13
Dr. Erland tells Cinder that she’s got some of the most complex technology he’s ever seen in...
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Chapter 14
As Cinder starts to wake up, Dr. Erland assures her that she’s going to be all right. Kai, who has just walked into...
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Kai helps Cinder to her feet and asks what she’s doing there. Dr. Erland lies again and says that she’s there to look at a med-droid. Kai is confused,...
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Chapter 18
When Kai and Cinder reach Dr. Erland ’s office, Kai asks about the progress, but Dr. Erland again assures him that he’ll...
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Chapter 19
After Kai leaves, Cinder turns back to Dr. Erland . She tells him that she visited the quarantines and saw the med-droids take an...
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Cinder also asks Dr. Erland about the Lunars’ glamour. He explains that it’s the ability to manipulate bioelectric energy, and...
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Dr. Erland asks why Cinder is so interested in the Lunars, and Cinder replies that Kai said...
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...them. Plus, to be Lunar in addition to being cyborg makes her a complete outcast. Dr. Erland tells Cinder that she can’t let Queen Levana see her, because the Queen hates shells,...
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Chapter 21
...ball. Cinder also doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s Lunar, and she hopes that Dr. Erland will be the only person who ever knows.
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Chapter 22
As Cinder travels back to the palace, she remembers Dr. Erland ’s warnings about Queen Levana, but she feels she has to deliver Nainsi back to...
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Chapter 23
...to see her, hoping that they can continue their search for Princess Selene and give Dr. Erland the antidote to duplicate it; he does not want to become a “puppet.” He then...
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Chapter 24
...as to why Levana’s glamour affected her the same as everyone else. She wonders if Dr. Erland lied to her about being a shell, or about being Lunar. Just then, an android...
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...She tries to assure him that she’s fine, but he insists on bringing her to Dr. Erland .
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Chapter 25
Kai brings Cinder into Dr. Erland ’s office and informs him of Cinder’s pain, but she assures them both that she’s...
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After Kai leaves, Dr. Erland angrily asks what Cinder is doing at the palace, because Queen Levana might see her....
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Cinder then asks why people touching her causes her to pass out. Dr. Erland explains that putting a biological lock on her gift protected her identity, because otherwise she...
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Cinder asks if Kai knows that Dr. Erland is a Lunar, and he says no. He understands the prejudices against Lunars, but not...
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Cinder then asks Dr. Erland if he’s immune to letumosis, and he says yes—that this is how he’s been developing...
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Chapter 30
...night, she got the engine to work for the first time. Cinder used money from Dr. Erland ’s research on a tank of gasoline; her freedom is near.
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Chapter 37
...booth. Soon, she’ll be transported back to Luna. A guard interrupts her thoughts, bringing in Dr. Erland to visit. He insists on speaking to Cinder alone, explaining that she’s a test subject...
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Dr. Erland then explains that he wants Cinder to come to Africa with him. He gives her...
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Chapter 38
Cinder shocked to learn that she’s Queen Levana’s niece, but she knows that Dr. Erland is telling the truth. Dr. Erland tells her that she’s the only one who can...
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