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Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Poppy War, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dehumanization and the Horrors of War
Identity, Cultural Trauma, and Coming of Age
The Purpose of Education
Addiction, Drugs, and Control
History
Summary
Analysis
The Federation soldiers arrive from three directions and make their approach obvious. Totally disregarding the military theory Sinegard’s students were taught, the Federation attacks from downhill: they have the numbers to do so. Rin is terrified, and no amount of training can make her less afraid. Kitay assures Rin they can win, despite the long odds, and then he unleashes one of his booby traps on the approaching enemy soldiers. The falling logs take out soldiers, but it barely makes a dent. Archers shoot at the Federation forces from above, but they can’t keep the Federation from entering Sinegard. Rin wonders if fighting back is even worth it, but as Kitay saves her from a flying axe, she leaps into action and kills an enemy soldier. The man’s death barely registers, and Rin keeps fighting.
As the war arrives on Rin’s doorstep, she’s forced to confront the fact that all the training in the world isn’t going to alleviate her of her fear and, along with this, her humanity. Indeed, the students and the other Nikara soldiers seem even more human (and fallible) as the Federation army moves with such deadly efficiency, breaking through every barrier the Nikara forces try to put up. And this pushes Rin to an important turning point in her development when she kills her first person. Her fear and desire to live pushes her to dehumanize her opponent, allowing her to kill him and then just move on.
Themes
Rin has no experience fighting such an onslaught of well-trained soldiers. She reasons that Jiang’s warnings don’t matter if they’re all going to die anyway, so she decides to eat the poppy seeds. Before she can, though, she hears a distress call from the East Gate; she’s supposed to respond to the call. At the East Gate, many Nikara are dead, including Raban. Rin engages two Federation soldiers in a fight, and Nezha saves her from being killed. They begin to fight back to back, and together, they’re very successful. The enemy begins to retreat, but then Rin sees that they’re just making way for their general to come. The general is massive man on an equally massive horse, and he begins to charge Rin and Nezha. Rin shuts her eyes.
For the moment, Rin’s attempt to disobey Jiang is thwarted, and she’s stuck being a good, loyal, and fully human (not shamanic) soldier. This allows her to make a sort of peace with Nezha, highlighting how the war continues to break down barriers between Rin and her classmates. The Federation general’s arrival—and what seems like his plan to kill Rin and Nezha—creates tension and speaks to how the Federation’s only goal is killing their enemies, even ones who are really still children.
Themes
Rin opens her eyes to see Jiang standing between her and the general, easily holding back the man and his horse. Calmly, Jiang tells the general to call off his men, or he’ll call “things that should not be in this world.” Air shimmers, Jiang chants, and then he tells Rin and Nezha to run. Rin realizes that Jiang can’t control whatever he’s bringing through just as Jiang loses control, the rippling air busts, and the east wall falls down. Rin comes to a few moments later and tells Nezha to hurry and get up: the general is crawling out from under the rubble. Though he’s missing half his face, he advances on Rin and Nezha. The general throws Rin and then stabs Nezha in the stomach.
When push comes to shove, Jiang comes to Rin’s aid. This suggests that there’s perhaps more nuance to when it’s appropriate to call the gods than Jiang has thus far let on. That he’ll call “things that should not be in this world” is extremely ominous, but this is something the novel will return to later.
Themes
Rin swallows some poppy seeds just as the general grabs her and begins to choke her. She finds herself in a tunnel and she sees the Woman ahead, but the Woman complies when Rin screeches for her to get out of the way. Rin finds herself in the Pantheon. The only god on a plinth is the Phoenix, and it offers her the “strength to topple empires,” but Rin “know[s] the terms.” Rin agrees to “Everything,” and she opens her eyes and grabs the general’s wrists. She burns him. Her entire body is on fire, and the general says that he watched “you all burn.” Rin feels the Phoenix take control of her; it’s laughing from its plinth in the Pantheon. She whispers to it to please stop, and finally, Rin falls.
In her moment of distress, Rin does exactly what Jiang and the Speerly Woman warned her not to do: call on the Phoenix for help. Rin’s reaction to the Phoenix working through her makes it clear that calling on gods (or perhaps just the Phoenix) is extremely uncomfortable, adding more credence to Jiang’s advice that one should not call on the gods like this. Rin is powerless next to the Phoenix—she has no control and has to ask it to stop burning.
Themes
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Rin wakes up to Niang saying she’s feverish, but Rin can’t tell her the truth: she’s hot because she’s channeling a god. To Rin’s confusion, the Empress herself appears and asks Rin to look at her. Rin is entranced by the Empress’s eyes and the beautiful visions she sees in them. The Empress, addressing Rin, says that she thought she “watched you burn,” and then she tells Rin she knows what Rin is and kisses Rin’s forehead. Rin cools.
Once again, the narration makes it clear to readers (if not to Rin) that the Empress is using hypnosis to control her subjects. Given that Jiang sought to protect Rin from the Empress when he took her on as an apprentice, it’s exceedingly sinister that the Empress now knows what Rin is. Rin is, perhaps, in more danger now.
Themes
