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Chapter Two
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Systems of Oppression
Cycles of Violence
Tradition and History
Love vs. Duty
Summary
Analysis
Zélie rides Nailah through the streets of Jimeta. They pass a mural of a red I created out of dots, the sign of the Iyika. Zélie thinks the Iyika sound like an army, not just rebels. A young girl steps out, entranced by Nailah. Because of the white streak in the girl’s hair and her beautiful doll, Zélie knows that this girl was once a noble and is now a tîtán, or able to use magic without using spells. Zélie feels resentful of the girl; she only has magic because Zélie made a mistake during the ritual—and she reminds Zélie of Inan. The girl’s mother drags her away, disgusted by Zélie.
Keep in mind that Zélie grew up in a world where her potential to do magic marked her as a feared second-class citizen, liable to suffer at any moment because of her magic. Now, the very people who once kept her down have the ability to do magic too. Zélie’s resentment, as well as the girl’s mother’s disgust, shows that leveling the playing field in terms of magic hasn’t fixed the problems in Orïsha.
Themes
At the entrance of Roën’s hideout, Roën’s enforcer, Harun, menacingly calls Zélie a maggot. Zélie flinches; King Saran carved “maggot” into her back not long ago. Several other mercenaries corner Zélie, which makes her ashê bubble, but Roën disperses his crew with a menacing look. Roën leads Zélie up a narrow path and explains that Harun was so menacing because there’s a price on Zélie’s head now. He convinces her to join him in a rickety manual elevator. She looks down at the refugee camp below and at people boarding ships to leave Orïsha, and wonders what it would be like to leave. They reach Roën’s home at the top of a cliff.
“Maggot” in the book is a horrendous slur. Its very existence speaks to the place in society that Zélie and other maji occupy: they’re vilified, demeaned, and killing them can at times be profitable for others like Harun. Zélie’s choice to not call on her magic to defend herself shows that she doesn’t believe violence is the best or only answer. Rather, violence should be a last resort when talking—or Roën—can’t help her out.
Themes
Roën isn’t interested in helping Amari’s cause, but allows Zélie to clean blood off of his face. Zélie admits that they have to win, or everyone’s death—all to bring magic back—will have been pointless. She doesn’t want this anymore. Roën pulls Zélie in close and asks what she does want. Zélie says she wants to be free, but reiterates that the only way forward is to put Amari on the throne. She studies the tally mark scars on Roën’s arm: torturers carved a tally every time they killed one of his men. Zélie believes they’re the reason Roën left his homeland. Roën agrees to help.
In this situation, the romantic feelings between Roën and Zélie allows Zélie to amass more supporters for her cause. It’s important to note that Zélie understands the necessity of connecting emotionally with others and trusting them, as it’s often hard for her to do so—which is understandable given the trauma she’s experienced at the hands of many in Orïsha.
Themes
