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Chapter 8
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cinderella is Dead, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sexism and Feminism
Love
Oppression and Control
Coming of Age
Revolution, Solidarity, and Teamwork
Summary
Analysis
The portraits on the wall display the line of kings of Mersailles, beginning with Prince Charming, the country’s founder. Cinderella died young and without children, so Prince Charming began a tradition that lasts to the modern day: that the king’s successor is chosen from a distant city that “does nothing but work to produce a suitable heir.”
The king’s subjects are expected to serve him wholeheartedly, and women are expected to be nothing more than wives and mothers. As such, the notion of a faraway city where women are reduced to bearing potential royal heirs does not strike the people of Mersailles as at all outlandish.
Active
Themes
King Manford enters the ball and addresses the guests. He stops when he sees Liv’s simple dress and mocks her in front of the crowd before ordering his guards to drag her out of the ball. The king announces the start of the ball, and as the festivities begin, he follows the guards who took Liv away. Erin and Sophia find each other, both horrified by what happened to Liv, and Sophia once again tries to persuade Erin to run away with her. Erin points out that leaving would betray their parents as well as their king, but Sophia doesn’t care.
King Manford taking time out of his speech to single out Liv makes evident that he is not only an oppressive tyrant––he is also a petty and cruel man. His power over the people in his kingdom, especially the women, is absolute, so he can indulge his cruelty however he pleases, including by casually ruining Liv’s life. Erin and Sophia are both horrified by this, but once again Erin is unwilling to follow Sophia’s lead and take action to escape Manford.
Active
Themes
Luke finds Sophia and Erin. He asks Sophia if he can “select” her at midnight, so that they can fulfill the expectation of marriage without actually committing to a partner they can never be attracted to. Then, he says, they can try to escape Lille. When Sophia presses him, Luke agrees to include Erin in the plan, but Erin is still set on doing what her parents and the king expect her to do. She refuses.
Active
Themes
