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Chapter 34
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Mortal Engines, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Social Class
Sacrifice
Dangers of Technology
The Importance of History
Prejudice and First Impressions
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
In the Jenny Haniver, Tom regrets seeing the devastation that his rockets caused. Then he remembers his promise to pick Hester up, so he starts heading back to dock at Top Tier.
Tom learns that violence, even when justified in self-defense, can sometimes have unexpected and unfortunate consequences as he sees the fire spreading from the downed airship.
Themes
Katherine is dazed after watching Pod die. She makes her way near the central square and hides, watching as Valentine reluctantly stays with Crome instead of investigating the fires from the crash. Crome says they have to fire MEDUSA at once, in case the fires damage it. Katherine thinks maybe she could activate and throw the bomb now, but she doesn’t want to do it with Valentine standing right there.
After witnessing the death of Pod firsthand, Katherine goes on to see firsthand proof of her father submitting to Crome instead of going to help other people. Yet even in spite of all that, she refuses to put Valentine in danger by activating her bomb near him.
Themes
While Crome’s Engineers put in MEDUSA’s input codes, some Stalkers bring back Hester to him. Katherine watches from her secret place, shocked to witness for the first time what Valentine’s sword did to Hester’s face. Katherine sees a horrible expression on Valentine’s face and realizes he’s about to draw his sword. Katherine leaps to intervene, and Valentine ends up slashing Katherine in the ribs instead of Hester. Katherine falls and her head hits a keyboard, making MEDUSA’s computer-brain give an error message.
Inspired by Pod’s example, Katherine offers her own life in order to save Hester. Valentine ends up accidentally hitting Katherine, the one person he was supposedly doing everything for. This shows how all of Valentine’s concessions to Crome were ultimately self-defeating, leading him to this moment when he strikes Katherine with his sword. Katherine’s head hitting the computer keyboard is yet another random act that will have big consequences.
Themes
Valentine cradles Katherine and shouts for help, but the Engineers around him are more worried about MEDUSA, which keeps building power even though it rejected their targeting coordinates. At last, Hester comes forward and helps Valentine staunch Katherine’s bleeding. Hester looks up and sees the Jenny Haniver with Tom in it. Katherine needs a doctor, and Hester remembers that the Jenny Haniver has a medical bay. The airship can’t land, however, because of all the flames around. Valentine orders everyone not to fire on the Jenny Haniver. Meanwhile, Crome shouts at Valentine to get MEDUSA under control again.
Katherine’s severe wound causes even the mortal enemies Valentine and Hester to put aside their differences, suggesting that on some level each sees a little bit of the humanity in the other—or at the very least, they’re both willing to put Katherine’s needs above their own. The growing fires symbolize how the situation is getting out of control, deviating from Crome’s original plans.
Themes
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