69 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer L. ArmentroutA Soul of Ash and Blood
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Love’s Influence on Identity
Cas and Poppy’s relationship develops quickly in tense, high-stakes circumstances; the couple rarely enjoys calm moments following their acquaintance. However, Poppy’s stasis forces Cas to reflect on his love for her, recognizing how he has adapted and evolved since the onset of their relationship. Taking the time to think about all he has gained as Poppy’s husband, Cas better understands himself, his strengths, and his weaknesses.
Poppy inspires Cas to be more forgiving; she insists on offering an opportunity for redemption, especially for those forced into their circumstances. When asked what to do with the Ascended while Poppy sleeps in stasis, Cas thinks, “Kill them. That [is] my first response. Make it quick and neat. But as I [brush] a smudge of dirt from Poppy’s hand, I [know] she wouldn’t want that” (48). Cas still recognizes the part of himself that is brutal and unforgiving. However, Cas yields to Poppy’s wishes, recognizing her abilities as an empath afford her a stronger moral compass. Without compromising the safety of his warriors and while demanding respect as King, Cas leads his people more gently with Poppy by his side.
Through his interactions with Poppy, Cas also grows to realize the significance of control over one’s life. Cas witnesses the minor ways Poppy claims control over her few choices, like when to talk and when to remain silent. Cas initially wants to control Poppy by using her to pay Malik. He changes his course of action, telling Kieran, “[S]he is no longer a pawn […] I won’t force her’” (660). Giving Poppy free will and control over her decisions becomes Cas’s top priority. He resents his previous intentions for Poppy, and his life’s mission transitions to giving Poppy complete control over her life.
Finally, Poppy enables Cas to feel worthy of love. Cas reflects on falling in love with Poppy:
[T]he process of falling in love with Poppy had started in Masadonia. It had just taken me that time to realize I could be worthy of such an emotion after betraying her—after all I’d done. That I could allow myself to love and be loved without hesitation or conditions (674).
Cas’s past trauma and his initial dishonorable intentions for Poppy leave him feeling undeserving of Poppy’s love. As the couple faces significant conflicts, Cas learns to accept Poppy’s unconditional love openly. Knowing Poppy may wake a completely different person who cannot remember him or their shared love terrifies Cas. He has changed nearly everything about himself since meeting Poppy, and he struggles to understand an identity separate from Poppy. Through retelling their love story, Cas explores how loving and being loved have influenced his behavior and identity, illustrating the transformative role relationships play in personal growth and emotional development.
Understanding and Countering Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms
Cas broaches the subject of maladaptive coping mechanisms when he details the self-harm he endured while attempting to forget about the decades of torture as Queen Ileana’s prisoner. With Kieran’s help, Cas better understands why he hurt himself. By describing the more challenging parts of his life to Poppy, Cas illustrates his desire for Poppy to embrace his full identity. In the flashback timeline, Cas ensures that Poppy is able to process her own traumatic past in a healthy, productive way, illustrating how countering maladaptive coping mechanisms can be a communal effort.
Cas initially identifies his maladaptive coping mechanisms as a method of escape; though he gained a short reprieve, Cas never found any long-term relief from the memories that haunt him. Cas articulates why he hurt himself:
I learned how to hide it well from those I could. […] it silenced everything. It stunned me enough that it got through all that shit in my head. It stopped the thoughts, and gods, just having a minute of not being back there, not thinking about Malik or what I did or didn’t do… Just a fucking minute of silence was like getting release. Not just a physical one, but a mental one. Because there was this sense of calm afterward. Clarity (144).
Cas’s reliance on self-harm as a coping mechanism underscores the profound impact of his traumatic memories on his mental and emotional well-being. He lived with the recollections of being tortured and sexually assaulted in addition to the undeserved guilt of Malik’s capture and the pain of losing Shea, his fiancée whom he loved dearly. By highlighting the power of just one “minute of silence” from his thoughts, Cas acknowledges both the painful intensity of his memories and the fleeting nature of the respite self-harm provides. In the present timeline, he admits the ultimate futility of his attempts to evade his traumatic past, setting the stage for his journey toward healing and self-acceptance.
Having relied on maladaptive strategies like self-harm to cope with his own traumatic past, Cas encourages Poppy to embrace healthier coping mechanisms, illustrating a communal approach to healing. Cas teaches Poppy to create new, happy memories to superimpose over distressing recollections. In doing so, Cas identifies other ways of coping with trauma. Leading Poppy to the garden, Cas declares, “You can’t change what happened in there. […] You just replace your last memory—a bad one—with a new one—a good one” (391). Cas recognizes the stubborn and persistent nature of bad memories. As in other parts of Poppy’s life, Cas teaches Poppy to assert control over these bad memories by creating new, happier memories. In employing this approach, Cas not only empowers Poppy to mitigate the impact of her trauma but also underscores the transformative power of communal support in the process of healing.
Cas ultimately accepts that grief and trauma cannot be erased; however, asserting control over future actions can assist in reclaiming parts of one’s identity. Cas sums up his thoughts on his maladaptive coping mechanisms to Poppy: “[I]t took a hell of a long time for me to learn that what I can control is how I act in response to those memories—to those emotional wounds. How I treat myself. How I treat others” (448). Cas believes that feeling in control of one’s life and decisions is paramount to recovering from trauma. By sharing his own maladaptive coping strategies and helping Poppy embrace healthier approaches, Cas illustrates the value of countering trauma with communal support and self-empowerment.
Reconciling Contradictory Beliefs
Cas holds many contradictory beliefs as he confronts going to war with the gods while coming to terms with his past actions. For example, he criticizes Malik for protecting Millicent while realizing he would have acted identically. Feeling pulled between his loyalty to Poppy and his loyalty to Atlantia, Cas learns to accept contradictions and ambiguity, making decisions based on instinct rather than what others expect of him.
Early on, Cas must dismantle his assumptions about the Maiden, illustrating the importance of embracing contradictions and nuance rather than simplified narratives. He learns to be open-minded with Poppy even as she regurgitates the Blood Crown’s propaganda. Cas initially believes that the Maiden is weak and wants to be in her position. This simplification of Poppy’s character is challenged when he meets her in the Red Pearl. Fascinated, he thinks, “[I]f I [take] her now, I’d never hear from her lips why she [is] here. And I [need] to know that” (105). Cas’s curiosity about Poppy indicates that he is open to learning about her complex identity and is not content to rest on his assumptions about her. Even though Poppy represents everything Cas hates, he is willing to understand opposing viewpoints that challenge his preconceived notions.
As the novel approaches its climax, Cas is torn between loyalty to his fellow Atlantians and an overwhelming urge to protect Poppy at all costs, a struggle that requires him to reconcile the emotional and political contradictions of his actions. His ploy to kidnap Poppy puts him in a morally contradictory position as he realizes his love for her and the danger she faces in Solis. Desperate to find a way to keep Poppy safe while also saving Malik, Cas realizes, “I [am] one of them, no better than the Ascended. Because once I [get] what I [want], I would be sending her right back to the beasts capable of unthinkable atrocities” (479). Cas thinks about his paradox more dynamically, considering the moral implications of his actions. He learns to listen to his instincts and intuition, which tell him that surrendering Poppy to the Blood Queen is inherently wrong, even though his Atlantian compatriots view Poppy as an enemy figurehead. Unable to compromise on his principles, Cas develops a new plan to save Poppy and Malik, using his instincts to forge a path through these contradictions.
The novel’s thematic interest in opposing viewpoints and moral contradictions is embodied in Cas’s newfound shapeshifting abilities at the end of the novel. Cas’s shifting into a cave cat represents being divided between two entities. Kieran helps Cas reconcile the self-unaware predator with the empathetic, good-natured man Cas has evolved into: “I know it can be difficult to pull yourself out of this, but you’re still in there, and I’m going to need you to come back to me as Cas” (684-85). Cas’s new shapeshifting abilities symbolize his journey from the predatory Dark One or Hawke Flynn in Solis to a more compassionate, sympathetic, and forgiving man. Both sides of Cas’s identity prove critical to serving and protecting Poppy.
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By Jennifer L. Armentrout
