The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season

by

N. K. Jemisin

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The Fifth Season: Interlude 2 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
This chapter, narrated in the second-person, describes a brief time of happiness for the “you” who’s being addressed. The narrator offers it as a reminder that not everything has been painful, but there has been peace as well. At the same time, the narrator says, while “you” and “she” rested, other factions—including the Guardians, the Seasons, the stone eaters, and Father Earth himself—have gathered for war.
This brief section about Syenite’s pregnancy and early years of motherhood on Meov essentially confirms that Syenite will later become Essun, as the “you” of Essun and the “she” of Syenite are conflated here. After so much grief and trauma, Syenite does at least get a brief period of peace and freedom on Meov, but the world at large continues to move, and the facts of Essun’s life make clear that the time on Meov is going to come to an end in some way.
Themes
Disaster, Violence, and Survival Theme Icon
Freedom Theme Icon
History, Storytelling, and Knowledge Theme Icon
Identity and Naming Theme Icon