The Poppy War Themes

The Poppy War follows teenaged Rin, an orphan girl who, against all odds, tests into the fictional country Nikan’s most prestigious military academy, Sinegard. The novel then follows Rin through her schooling, which is cut short when Nikan goes to war with its longtime enemy, the island nation the Federation of Mugen. Beginning during Rin’s school days, the novel shows how in a country obsessed with winning a war at all costs, it’s necessary…

As The Poppy War follows Rin from ages 14 to 19, it details her coming of age. At first, Rin characterizes growing up as rejecting the parts of womanhood she doesn’t like, and as rejecting a certain life path. To this end, she throws herself into studying for the Keju and gaining admission to Sinegard Academy to escape an arranged marriage to a much-older man, and she later destroys her womb so she can focus…

The Poppy War explores the devastating effects of addiction in a variety of ways, on the whole highlighting how it can be used to gain power and control—either over other people, or over one’s own life. When the novel opens on 16-year-old Rin taking the Keju examination, it details how she essentially became addicted to studying, as testing into the prestigious Sinegard Academy offered her an escape from an unwanted arranged marriage. Later, at Sinegard…

It’s no accident that history is one of the four subjects students hoping to take the Keju must study, and which they continue to study in depth at various Nikara academies—The Poppy War broadly takes the stance that in order to prepare for the future, it’s essential to understand the past. However, Rin is introduced to the idea early on that while there may intellectually be one correct story of how a certain war…