Previous
Chapter 10
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Eagle of the Ninth, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Slavery
Friendship and Trust
Dignity and Shared Humanity
The Roman Conquest of Britain
The Military, Identity, and Honor
Summary
Analysis
Early in the summer, Esca and Marcus reach the Wall (Hadrian’s Wall). They ride two former cavalry mares. Esca now dresses like the tribesman he is, while Marcus wears a mix of British and “exotic” garments, including a silver talisman on his forehead to cover the brand of Mithras. Esca’s horse carries the box of salves, which bears Marcus’s new name: Demetrius of Alexandria. Sentries wave Esca and Marcus into the fortress, and soon, Esca and Marcus are on the north side of the wall. They travel for a few hours and then break by a stream. Their plan is to crisscross from coast to coast, traveling a bit further north each pass, and listen for word of the Eagle or the Ninth Legion. Marcus tells Esca that since Esca knows the land and people, Marcus will listen if Esca tells him to do something.
Hadrian’s Wall was constructed to mark the northern border of Roman Britain—mostly to keep the northern tribes out. Its straight, structured nature speaks to the Roman mindset, particularly the desire to push aside anything that’s threatening or unpredictable. Marcus at least makes a show of accepting the kind of unpredictability that the novel associates with the tribesmen when he tells Esca he’ll listen to Esca’s instructions. This is also one important way he shows Esca respect and that he trusts him.
Active
Themes
Before they head for a nearby village, Marcus builds an altar to Mithras, the “Light of the Sun.” Esca, who worships a different god, just watches. When Marcus is done, he and Esca gather dry brush, and Marcus builds a fire. In the middle of it, Marcus places his olivewood bird, feeling like he’s sacrificing the bird and the old life it represents.
