Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Mortal Engines, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Social Class
Sacrifice
Dangers of Technology
The Importance of History
Prejudice and First Impressions
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
From up in the Jenny Haniver, Tom looks down on the mountains below. Hester is resting in the ship’s medical bay. Miss Fang curses Valentine for hurting Hester. She tells Tom that despite Valentine’s reputation as a great Historian, he’s really just a henchman for Crome. Tom defends Valentine, but he is also ashamed of how much he used to admire Valentine.
With both Hester and Miss Fang telling Tom that Valentine is evil, Tom is now outnumbered. Nevertheless, Tom hesitates to condemn Valentine himself (even after Valentine tried to murder him), illustrating how difficult it can be to let go of the past, especially in a case where there’s deep admiration..
Themes
Miss Fang asks Tom if he knows where London is headed. He hesitates, unsure if he trusts Miss Fang, but at last lies to her, saying that he heard from the Head Navigator himself that London is probably moving toward the central Hunting Ground to find more prey.
Tom’s decision to lie to Miss Fang once again suggests that he remains loyal to his old life in London, despite everything he has recently suffered after Valentine pushed him down the trash chute. This suggests that changing one’s loyalty isn’t simply a matter of gaining new information; it takes time.
Themes
Miss Fang lowers the altitude of the Jenny Haniver as they fly over some landmarks, including the remains of a dead Traction City called Motoropolis that is full of scavengers. When they make it to the central Hunting Grounds and see nothing, Miss Fang reveals that she knew Tom was lying. He confesses that he is only a low-ranking apprentice who doesn’t even know the Head Navigator. Miss Fang says Hester told her something about MEDUSA.
Miss Fang is smarter than Tom realizes, suggesting that he remains prejudiced against her. Hester trusts Miss Fang more than Tom does—although she is more cynical than Tom, she and Miss Fang seem to share a history as outsiders.
Themes
Eventually, Miss Fang, Tom, and Hester reach Airhaven and disembark. It’s a busy town with airships coming and going everywhere. Miss Fang promises to buy them all dinner, then find them a captain headed to London. None of them notice Shrike’s ship circling up above them, waiting for a chance to land.
Shrike’s ship signals trouble ahead. With the way that it flies in circles as if stalking its prey, the ship somewhat resembles a real shrike (the predatory bird that gives Shrike his name and is also sometimes called the butcherbird).
Themes
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