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Chapter 37: Nina
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Six of Crows, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed
Friendship and Difference
Trauma, the Past, and Moving Forward
Identity, Values, and Growing Up
Summary
Analysis
An hour before, it’s revealed, Kaz kept an eye on Nina and Brum as they entered the treasury. While they were inside, Kaz vomited up a spare set of lock picks, Wylan’s root bombs, and chloropellets; and then he thought about seeing the new purpose in Inej’s face earlier. When Black Protocol began, Kaz began to worry that either Nina and Matthias were in trouble—or that he was wrong to trust Matthias’s feelings for Nina. They appeared with (presumably) Bo Yul-Bayur, and the lab blew up (which Kaz didn’t ask for). Now, they’re all falling through the darkness. Kaz realized earlier that what watered the sacred ash and fed the Ice Court’s moat was an underground spring—the voice of Djel—and the river should deposit them in the gorge.
Kaz, this passage reveals, has been betting on Matthias and Nina being able to work through their issues and eventually admit their love for each other. Even if Kaz himself struggles to let himself love Inej, for instance, he still shows a keen understanding of how love makes others act (which he also demonstrated early in the novel, when he threatened Geels’s lover). As he puts together that Djel’s voice is that of the underground river, he also discovers the truth behind the myth. People are, in fact, hearing something—but it’s water, not a real divine being.
Themes
As they race down the river, Kaz just hopes that Jesper and Wylan have been successful, and that Inej will be on the other side. He thinks of her hand on his cheek, which made him feel disgust and, to his surprise, desire. He remembers breaking his leg during a heist and getting a Fabrikator to make his cane, which helped him build up his image as “cripple and confidence man” in the Barrel. The gloves are Kaz’s only “concession to weakness,” as he’s not been able to touch others’ skin since swimming back from the Reaper’s Barge.
During this frightening trip down the river, Kaz takes stock of his life. He’s struggling to overcome his past trauma and accept Inej’s affection and physical touch, and finally, the novel confirms that his gloves are how Kaz protects himself from experiencing discomfort. It’s yet to be seen, though, if his crush on Inej will be the push he needs to heal from past events and move forward.
Themes
As the baleen begins to fail and water seeps in, Kaz’s memories flash before his eyes. He remembers Jordie. He also remembers Inej—and all the times he didn’t comfort her when she cried. The baleen dissolves, but Kaz tells himself he can’t die here. In Kaz’s head, Jordie laughs and Kaz tries to motivate himself by thinking of killing Pekka Rollins. But he can only think of Inej, how much he relies on her, and that he needs to thank her for getting him a hat. Water rushes into Kaz’s mouth.
Once again, Kaz tries to motivate himself by thinking about Jordie and revenge—but what actually keeps him moving forward are his thoughts of Inej. This points to how much he loves and relies on her. Additionally, deciding he needs to thank her for her hat is a huge leap for Kaz, as it shows him finally putting her needs over his desire to remain aloof and unknowable.
Themes
