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Chapter Eighteen
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Blood and Bone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Prejudice and Inequality
Duty to Family vs. Self
Faith and Tradition
Cycles of Violence
Summary
Analysis
As they approach Chândomblé, Inan’s magic grows stronger, allowing him to hear the disgruntled thoughts of the guards buzzing like flies in his head. Fighting his powers is physically painful, but Inan feels that he must.
Knowing that his father would be disgusted by Inan’s new identity as a member of a reviled group, Inan fights the magic he feels brewing inside of him. Considering that Saran killed his daughter’s only friend (Binta) for being a divîner, Saran would possibly kill his own son, too.
Themes
Inan has a vivid memory of Saran telling him to fight Amari. Amari refused to raise her sword, which Saran took as a sign of weakness. Saran said that Inan must chose Orïsha over himself by fighting when he does not want to. So, Inan lunged at Amari with his sword. Inan thinks that he failed his sister once, and cannot do it again.
Inan’s most powerful, haunting memory involves choosing to follow his father’s commands over his own sense of right and wrong. The memory also shows again that Saran conflates the ability to commit violence with one’s strength, and even leadership abilities.
Themes
