Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Six of Crows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed
Friendship and Difference
Trauma, the Past, and Moving Forward
Identity, Values, and Growing Up
Summary
Analysis
Nina tells herself that Inej will be fine, though she doesn’t believe it. To avoid attracting suspicion, Nina hurries along with the crowd, ditching the conspicuous horsehair cloak and crossing a dizzying, almost invisible bridge over the ice moat. Clearly, it was created by Fabrikators, though Fjerdans insist a Saint did it. Finally, Nina reaches the other side, wondering how many fellow partygoers are drüskelle in disguise. The guests enter a round ballroom, and to get a better view, Nina heads for a balcony. She notices Matthias and Kaz in drüskelle uniforms nearby, and she shivers at the sight of Matthias back in the black uniform. Nina looks for where crowds are massing: around the queen and someone in a military uniform.
Evidence continues to mount that Fjerdans might hate and persecute Grisha, but they nevertheless use and enjoy lots of technology and infrastructure that only Grisha can create. This suggests either past or present abuse, or a rosier relationship between Fjerdans and Grisha in the distant past.
Themes
Before Nina can head downstairs, a man tries to touch her, so she uses her power and knocks him out. Once downstairs, she locates a general. She grabs a glass of champagne and makes it look like another soldier bumped into her, dumping her champagne. The general immediately jumps to help Nina and invites her upstairs—but Jarl Brum himself intercepts. He’s supposed to have died when the ship sank. Nina is terrified.
As Nina confronts Jarl Brum, she comes face to face with one of the worst moments in her past: being captive on the Fjerdan ship, bound for trial and certain death in Fjerda. She may be in danger, depending on how well her disguise holds up.
Themes
