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
Kaz walks through the Barrel, Ketterdam’s gambling district. Except for his own Crow Club, the best betting halls are at the north end of the district. But the only other business he cares about is the Emerald Palace, which belongs to Pekka Rollins. Kaz passes it so he feels angry enough to keep going, telling himself “brick by brick.” He watches several of his own men talk loudly about winning lots of money from the Crow Club to lure people south, one of the many ways that Kaz robs business from Rollins. Kaz was nine and his brother Jordie was 13 when they arrived in Ketterdam from the country. They were young and naive—and now, Kaz lives to one day be able to punish Rollins.
Finally, the novel reveals that Jordie was Kaz’s older brother. Rollins seemingly had something to do with Jordie’s death, and Kaz is motivated entirely by his burning desire to take revenge on Rollins. This suggests that Kaz is, in some ways, living in the past, as his goals in the present revolve entirely around righting past wrongs. Put another way, Kaz isn’t the successful gang lieutenant he is today because of his own personal drive alone: he got to where he is because of Jordie, who seems to be long dead.
Themes
Kaz heads for the brothel district, which most people visit dressed up in disguise. He passes the Menagerie, or the House of Exotics, where Inej, who’s Suli, was forced to wear fake Suli silks. Tante Heleen, the proprietress, raises a glass to Kaz—but it’s a threat, not a toast. Kaz finally enters the House of the White Rose and asks for Nina. She’s with a client, so he walks deeper into the house and climbs a staff staircase. Nina’s door is closed, so Kaz slips into the next room and looks through the peephole. Nina stands with her hands on a (fully clothed) bald man’s head, totally still, until the clock chimes. The man leaves, and Kaz knocks on Nina’s door. She lets him in unhappily.
Tante Heleen emerges as an antagonist here: she clearly has a problem with Kaz. And the implication that Inej used to engage in sex work against her will reveals that Inej has suffered immense trauma in her past, seemingly just like Kaz has. Trauma, this suggests, is a somewhat prevalent experience, but what varies is how people deal with that trauma.
Themes
Throwing off her costume Kefta for a comfy dressing gown, Nina slumps down on her settee and eats cakes from the coffee service her client left. Kaz asks if the mercher who just left is going to be able to save his business. Nina is a Grisha Corporalki, but rather than killing or healing (which might make her too conspicuous and endanger her), she Tailors—changes people’s appearance—and alters people’s moods. The mercher she just saw lost his wife recently, and she’s helping him grieve. Kaz asks what she knows about jurda parem and says the rumors are true, handing Nina the lump of gold. As Kaz talks, Nina seems to transform from an all-knowing Grisha healer into what she actually is: a 17-year-old girl from the Little Palace, who’s just trying to get by.
For her part, Nina helps paying customers cope with their trauma by helping to shift chemicals in their brains to improve their mood. And Nina herself seems to have suffered trauma too, as it’s not clear how or why a young Grisha girl from Ravka ended up in Ketterdam, working at a brothel but not engaging in sex work. The aside that Nina could be in danger for healing or killing—and that she’s heard rumors about jurda parem—does highlight how vulnerable Nina is as a Grisha specifically.
Themes
As Kaz tells Nina about Bo Yul-Bayur, Nina insists he needs to die: parem is too dangerous. As Kaz keeps talking and brings up the Ice Court, Nina realizes what Kaz wants—to break Matthias Helvar out of prison because now, he’s suddenly useful to Kaz. Nina insists that Matthias is driven by honor alone and will therefore refuse to help them, but Kaz remains firm that he can get Matthias to cooperate.
Readers don’t yet have enough information to understand the history here, but Kaz seems to manipulate and withhold information and help from Nina, just as he does with Inej. He does things that help him, when they help him—and this creates strife, rather than closeness, in his relationships.
Themes
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