Nimona

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 2015

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11 and Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Chapters 3-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 3 Summary

Blackheart and Nimona infiltrate the Institution’s lab and unexpectedly run into Goldenloin. Blackheart introduces his new sidekick to the hero, who appears perplexed by her spunkiness. A group of guards coming to Goldenloin’s aid interrupts them. Nimona takes the opportunity to shift into different forms (a wolf, then a child) and dispatch them. When the last guard runs in fear, Blackheart unsuccessfully tries to stop Nimona from going after him. Blackheart and Goldenloin then engage in a sword fight, with Goldenloin taunting Blackheart almost playfully, until an alarm sounds off, starting a countdown to self-destruction. Blackheart is worried about Nimona, but Goldenloin, who laments that “this isn’t how things are supposed to go” (13), leads him out to safety. They watch the building explode. Blackheart appears heartbroken while Goldenloin tells him to leave before the guards arrive.

Later, Blackheart gets a video call from the Director of the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroes, who turns out to be Nimona in disguise. Relieved, Blackheart asks her to come home, and she tells him she is bringing back a file of top-secret plans she discovered.

Chapter 4 Summary

The first two pages of Chapter 4 illustrate Nimona in bird form flying over the city. She then comes home to an irritated Blackheart, who scolds her for disregarding his orders, not following the rules, and killing civilians in the process. Nimona eventually agrees to show more restraint, and Blackheart in turn agrees to give her a more substantial role in his operation. He then starts questioning Nimona about her background, and she tells him about her childhood.

When she was six years old, Nimona had long red hair and lived with her parents. Their village was often raided by attackers. One day, she helped an old woman climb out of a well. In return, the old woman bestowed upon Nimona a magical gift. Nimona asked to be turned into a dragon so that she could fend off the raiders. The old woman abided, but Nimona did not return in time to save her village. Nimona discovered that she could also turn into other creatures, supposedly because the old woman was not a very good witch. Since then, she has wandered on her own until finding Blackheart.

Later, Goldenloin is called into the Director of the Institution’s office, where she asks him about Blackheart’s dangerous new sidekick. She is angry to learn that Nimona is a shapeshifter, arguing that it “gives him an advantage he didn’t have before” (33).

Chapter 5 Summary

Blackheart questions Nimona about the scientific implications of her shapeshifting abilities and is frustrated by her vague, nonchalant answers. When Blackheart asks if he could run some tests on her, Nimona aggressively tells him that she is “nobody’s lab rat” (37). Blackheart infers from her violent reaction that she may have been previously experimented on, but Nimona quickly changes the subject.

Later, they examine the secret files Nimona brought back from the Institution. They find out that the Institution has been conducting experiments with jaderoot, an outlawed, “very rare, very poisonous plant [...] pretty much only used in dark sorcery” (41). Blackheart becomes concerned because such a vast amount of jaderoot could contaminate the entire kingdom’s crops and poison many people. He decides to expose the Institution’s practices, and Nimona eagerly asks about his next plan.

In the next part of the chapter, the Director watches a news report about the information that Blackheart anonymously leaked about the Institution. Goldenloin bursts in, wanting to know if the report is true, which the Director denies. She then orders him to go to the news station and apprehend the newscaster, who she understands is Nimona in a different form. Goldenloin obeys, but Nimona outwits him and escapes. Finally, when Blackheart and Nimona are back home, they watch a zombie movie together and banter until Nimona falls asleep. Blackheart covers her with a blanket.

Chapters 3-5 Analysis

In Chapters 3 through 5, Stevenson uses fairy tale tropes to introduce more information about Nimona, adding to the complexity of her character. Two tropes develop Nimona’s origin story: the receiving of a magical gift and the appearance of an old woman or witch. The later narrative reveals Nimona’s origin story to be a lie, yet the depiction of Nimona’s hair as long is significant because it symbolizes her character evolution. Whereas young Nimona was kind, Stevenson characterizes Nimona with short hair as impetuous and violent. She does not hesitate to attack the guards, and Blackheart is unable to stop her relentless pursuit of the last guard. Although Nimona is not receptive to Blackheart’s moral boundaries, his positioning as a paternal figure thematically highlights The Significance of Found Family.

Stevenson incorporates other fairy tale tropes, including the stereotypical hero vs. villain fight. Nimona’s position as a disruptive element is further cemented when she derails Goldenloin and Blackheart’s swordfight. However, the fight’s resolution is subverted when Goldenloin saves Blackheart from the exploding building. Goldenloin’s actions also hint at the relationship between the two and the depth of Goldenloin’s feelings for Blackheart. The tropes of mistaken identity and disguise also characterize Nimona. Nimona deceives both Blackheart and the Institution when she disguises herself as the Director and when she takes the newscaster’s place. Nimona’s shapeshifting distorts the line between appearance and reality. Her transformations create surprise and suggest that her power can be used to more deceitful or manipulative ends, especially compared to the easily identifiable red animals she turned into previously. Red is a significant color that represents Nimona, particularly in relation to her red hair. Nimona paints a rat red to lure Goldenloin into thinking it is her, leading other characters to recognize how dangerous she may be.

Nimona’s trauma response thematically underscores Shifting Identity as Queer Symbolism. Nimona’s explosive reaction to Blackheart’s experimentation suggestion reveals her latent anger and foreshadows the abuse she previously experienced at the hands of the Institution. Nimona’s reaction to Blackheart also marks the first appearance of her superhuman form. She briefly turns her arm large and scaly, foreshadowing how shapeshifting symbolizes her gradual loss of control due to mistrust.

In addition to foreshadowing Nimona’s character arc, these chapters also introduce a turning point in the plot. The stolen plans from the Institution expose the Director as the true villain. In turn, Blackheart now appears to be the hero. However, these narrative roles are based on the morality of the characters’ actions rather than on pre-existing labels. The theme of Ambivalent Morality and Moral Dilemmas is developed both through Nimona’s character and the main narrative conflict.