Red Queen Themes

In the Kingdom of Norta, where Mare Barrow lives, everyone’s destiny is determined by the color of their blood. Those with silver blood, called “Silvers,” live a life of luxury that is made possible by the hard work of the “Reds,” who are conditioned to believe that their red blood makes them suited to poverty and grueling labor in the service of the Silvers. The Silvers are able to keep the Reds in their…

Throughout Red Queen, Mare Barrow often feels backed into a corner, forced to lie to her family and others. Others also lie to Mare throughout the novel, and she becomes increasingly distrustful of everyone, including herself. While Mare hardly trusts anyone at the end of the novel, the experience of mutual betrayal nevertheless creates another kind of powerful bond between Mare and other characters. The novel ultimately takes a complex view of the concept…

Not all of the Silvers in Red Queen want to oppress the Reds. Cal, for example, sees that the Reds live in terrible conditions, but he does not find these conditions so unacceptable that he wants to upset political order in order to effect change. Maven, on the other hand, tells Mare that the change he wants to see is worth disorder and even violence. Mare, faced with the opportunity to involve herself…