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Kira’s Cloth / Thomas’s Carving
The Singer’s robe, staff, and Ruin Song are three different versions of the same thing: a story of the endless, inevitable rise and fall of history. Civilizations begin, grow, decay, and eventually die out, often in a fiery blaze, to be followed by a new, fresh civilization. The Song shows this with words, the robe shows it in weaving, and the staff shows it in wood. As Kira learns, the Council of Guardians believes that it is in its own best interest to control this version of history: to make sure that everyone knows it, and to make sure that when Thomas and Kira tell the future of civilization by carving the staff and embroidering the robe, their vision of the future depicts the Council in a flattering light. By the end of the book, it’s clear why the Council is so invested in teaching their version of history to the village: doing so encourages the villagers to believe that death and decay are inevitable, and therefore that everyone should accept their place in life and obey the Council. Kira decides to undermine the Council’s plan by weaving a version of the robe that includes blue, and will teach compassion and love to the villagers. Thus, the robe, staff, and Ruin Song show the power of art: a power that can be dangerous in the hands of a corrupt government, but liberating in the hands of individual artists working toward their own vision.
The Robe, Staff, and Ruin Song Quotes in Gathering Blue
The Gathering Blue quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Robe, Staff, and Ruin Song. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 7
Quotes
"This is the entire story of our world. We must keep it intact. More than intact."
She saw that his hand had moved and was stroking the wide unadorned section of fabric, the section of the cloth that fell across the Singer's shoulders.
"The future will be told here," he said. "Our world depends upon the telling.”
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Chapter 9
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The Singer's robe contained only a few tiny spots of ancient blue, faded almost to white. After her supper, after the oil lamps had been lit, Kira examined it carefully. She lay her threads — the ones from her own small collection and the many others that Annabella had given to her — on the large table, knowing she would have to match the hues carefully in daylight before she began the repairs. It was then that she noticed — with relief because she would not know how to repair it; and with disappointment because the color of sky would have been such a beautiful addition to the pattern — that there was no real blue any more, only a hint that there once had been.
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Chapter 12
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Ruin. Rebuilding. Ruin again. Regrowth. Kira followed the scenes with her hand as larger and greater cities appeared and larger, greater destruction took place. The cycle was so regular that its pattern took on a clear form: an up-and-down movement, wavelike. From the tiny corner where it began, where the first ruin came, it enlarged upon itself. The fires grew as the villages grew. All of them were still tiny, created from the smallest stitches and combinations of stitches, but she could see their pattern of growth and how each time the ruin was worse and the rebuilding more difficult.
But the sections of serenity were exquisite. Miniature flowers of countless hues flourished in meadows streaked with golden-threaded sunlight. Human figures embraced. The pattern of the peaceful times felt immensely tranquil compared to the tortured chaos of the others.
Tracing with her finger the white and pink-tinged clouds against pale skies of gray or green, Kira wished again for blue. The color of calm.
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Chapter 16
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Kira did too. She wanted her hands to be free of the robe so that they could make patterns of their own again. Suddenly she wished that she could leave this place, despite its comforts, and return to the life she had known. She buried her face in the bedclothes and for the first time cried in despair.
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Chapter 23
Quotes
The three of them — the new little Singer who would one day take the chained Singer's place; Thomas the Carver, who with his meticulous tools wrote the history of the world; and she herself, the one who colored that history — they were the artists who could create the future.
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Get the entire Gathering Blue LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Robe, Staff, and Ruin Song Symbol Timeline in Gathering Blue
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Robe, Staff, and Ruin Song appears in Gathering Blue. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...prepares for his duties by resting and drinking special oils for his voice. The Ruin Song is long; it describes the rise and fall of many civilizations, culminating in cracks in...
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Chapter 4
...dye threads; in fact, Katrina was responsible for coloring the threads used to decorate the robe that the Singer wore when he performed his Ruin Song. As a small child, Kira...
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Chapter 5
...before lunch. The chief guardian tells the guard to open the box, revealing the Singer’s robe. Everyone, including Kira and Vandara, leans forward to get a closer look at the robe....
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...that Kira will stay in the village and continue her mother’s work, repairing the Singer’s robe—he points to a large undecorated patch of fabric on the back of the robe. Vandara,...
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Chapter 6
...that she has access to drawers of threads and other supplies for repairing the Singer’s robe, which is kept in another drawer in her quarters.
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Chapter 7
...all her lunch. Kira answers him, but even as she does so Jamison examines the robe and begins to explain her duties to her. Kira’s mother had begun repairing the robe,...
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Jamison shows Kira the supplies she’ll use to complete the robe: needles, threads, scissors, etc. Kira notices that the threads haven’t been dyed; when Jamison reminds...
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Chapter 9
...after Kira visited Annabella. Back in her quarters of the Council Edifice, Kira examines the robe she is to repair. There are a few spots of blue, but they’re so faded...
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...Thomas what his work for the guardians involves, he explains that he re-carves the Singer’s staff in the areas where it’s been worn down. The Singer uses his staff to keep...
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...a schedule: she visits Annabella regularly, but spends most of her day working on the robe. She also begins to enjoy her bath instead of preferring the stream.
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As she works, Kira examines the Singer’s robe more closely. It tells a long, complicated history. One part of the robe shows a...
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Chapter 12
...would tell her what they want her to weave in the empty area of the robe. Kira said nothing, but thought that the guardians’ instruction won’t give the sense of magic...
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Kira remains indoors studying the robe. She focuses on the patches of the robe in orange, red, and yellow: these signal...
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Chapter 13
...being taken by beasts. He tells Kira that she’s doing an excellent job with the robe, and leaves. Kira touches her cloth, but it brings her no comfort. She thinks she...
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Chapter 16
...she can come and go as she pleases, she’s forced to work on the Singer’s robe. As she realizes this, Kira realizes that she is losing all interest in repairing the...
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Chapter 17
...outside. As she suggests this, she notices that Thomas has been working on the Singer’s staff. Much like the robe, the staff has intricate carvings, but also an empty area at...
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...such a place, and Thomas tells her, “It’s how it is.” Kira remembers from the robe that this is not true: there were times when people lived in better conditions. She...
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Chapter 18
...has been closed, people are quieter, and some even bathe. Thomas is polishing the Singer’s staff with thick oils. Matt has not returned from his quest to find blue, even though...
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In the days leading up to the Gathering, Kira completes the robe. Jamison visits her and inspects the robe, and says she’s done an excellent job. He’s...
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Jamison looks at another section of the robe, and recites the portion of the Ruin Song that corresponds to it. He explains to...
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Chapter 19
Kira goes to Thomas’s room and asks him where the staff is. He tells her that the guardians took it yesterday, and she confirms that they...
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...of the future.” Finally, he presents the “Singer of the future,” who will wear the robe one day. When the chief guardian announces this, a side door opens, and guards push...
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The chief guardian then presents the Singer, who enters, holdings his staff and wearing his robe, which is bright and colorful because of Kira’s work. Thomas mutters...
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...the hall, and the scraping sound stops. He holds out one arm, on which the robe shows the scene of the origin of the world. Kira feels great pride in her...
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Chapter 20
...since the Gathering ceremony began. Thomas and Kira listen to the Singer perform the Ruin Song while Jo sleeps. Kira listens to the Song, and is surprised to find that she...
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The Singer moves through a quiet portion of the Song, which corresponds to a green section of the robe. The “Green part” of the Song,...
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When it is time for the Ruin Song to begin again, Kira and Thomas leave Matt and Branch in Thomas’s room and walk...
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Chapter 23
...it’s possible that the guardians poisoned her to get to Kira to work on the robe for them. It’s also possible, Kira realizes, that they killed Jo and Thomas’s parents to...
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...what she saw at the Gathering. When the Singer finished his performance, he lifted his robe slightly, and Kira saw his feet, which were bloody and scarred, so that as he...
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...“task” in the village. As she talks to her father, she thinks of the undecorated robe she must begin to weave. She senses that the future is in her hands. Thomas...
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