Red Queen

“Just when I think there could be nothing more fantastic than this place, I look closer at the Silvers and remember exactly who they are. The little girl is a telky, levitating the apple ten feet into the air to feed the long-necked beast. A florist runs his hands through a pot of white flowers and they explode into growth, curling around his elbows. He’s a greeny, a manipulator of plants and the earth. A pair of nymphs sits by the fountain, lazily entertaining children with floating orbs of water. One of them has orange hair and hateful eyes, even while kids mill around him. All over the square, every type of Silver goes about their extraordinary lives. There are so many, each one grand and wonderful and powerful and so far removed from the world I know.”

Mare observes the Silvers up close for the first time, which illustrates the marked differences in how Reds and Silvers live. Various Silver powers are also shown. The telky is short for telekinesis, the ability to move objects with the mind. Greeny refers to plants, and nymphs get their name from the mythological nature spirits that inhabit the water. This is also the first place where it becomes clear that Silvers need preexisting material to manipulate, but Mare isn’t aware of that yet.

“He bats the box like hitting the damn thing can suddenly bring light and warmth and hope back to us. His actions become more harried, more desperate, and anger radiates from him. Not at me or Gisa but the world. Long ago he called us ants, Red ants burning in the light of a Silver sun. Destroyed by the greatness of others, losing the battle for our right to exist because we are not special. We did not evolve like them, with powers and strengths beyond our limited imaginations. We stayed the same, stagnant in our own bodies. The world changed around us and we stayed the same.”

These lines come after the power has gone out at Mare’s house. While her father tries desperately to turn the electricity back on, Mare lays out the beaten-down mindset of Reds. Compared to Reds, Silvers are like gods and Reds like the ants crushed beneath godlike strength. These lines also imply the Silvers gained their powers through evolution and that they were once like Reds. This foreshadows Mare’s abilities and how she and those like her are Reds evolving into something greater.

“The electricity, the Silvers, and the shouts blur in my head as I watch nymphs and greenys, swifts, strongarms, telkies, and what seems like a hundred other kinds of Silver show off beneath the shield. Things I never dreamed possible happen before my eyes, as girls turn their skin to stone or scream apart walls of glass. The Silvers are greater and stronger than I ever feared, with powers I never even knew existed. How can these people be real?

I’ve come all this way and suddenly I’m back in the arena, watching Silvers display everything we are not.”

Mare watches Queenstrial, and the contest explores a few things about the world of Red Queen. First, it displays the vast array of Silver powers. Second, it shows the desperation underlining Silver strength. These girls likely know Evangeline has already been picked for Cal, but they still show off with everything they have because each wants power and to be noticed. Third, Mare feeling the electricity foreshadows her soon-to-be revealed powers. It is the first thing she mentions amidst the Silver cheers and powers, which suggests it is the most prominent noise in her head.

“‘What Father is trying to say is that she represents an opportunity for us,’ Cal says, cutting in to explain. Unlike his brother, Cal’s voice is strong and authoritative. It’s the voice of a king. ‘If the Reds see her, a Silver by blood but Red by nature, raised up with us, they can be placated. It’s like an old fairy tale, a commoner becoming the princess. She’s their champion. They can look to her instead of terrorists.’ And then, softer, but more important than anything else: ‘She’s a distraction.’”

Cal’s explanation calls to another trope of the dystopian genre: a member of the lower class being used to give that class hope. The royal family will use Mare both to show the Reds anyone could rise to greatness under the right circumstances—even someone raised among them—and to draw their eye away from the Scarlet Guard. This passage also shows how Cal works to fit into his role as future king, even though it isn’t what he wants. He understands the games royals play and acts the part convincingly.

“How long will this last? Betrothed to a prince. Even in my head, it sounds crazy. Because it is. No Silver in their right mind would marry you, let alone a prince of Norta. Not to calm rebellion, not to hide your identity, not for anything.

Then why do this?

When the maids pinch and pull me into a gown, I feel like a corpse being dressed for her funeral. I know it’s not far from the truth. Red girls do not marry Silver princes. I will never wear a crown or sit on a throne. Something will happen, an accident maybe. A lie will raise me up, and one day another lie will bring me down.”

This passage comes while Mare’s new maids dress her for a royal function. The reality of Mare’s situation hits her for the first time here, and she realizes how doomed she truly is. She knows she is only a pawn to be used and discarded as the royal family needs. She also speaks to the fragility of lies. The lies have elevated her, and her prediction that another lie will end her foreshadows how she and Cal are later sentenced to death.

“My heart pounds as he speaks. Though his words sound like a question, I know I have no choice in my answer. No matter how much I want to look away, my eyes stay on Maven. He gives me the smallest of encouraging smiles. I wonder to myself which girl would’ve been chosen for him.

Who would I have chosen? If none of this had happened, if Kilorn’s master never died, if Gisa’s hand was never broken, if nothing ever changed. If. It’s the worst word in the world.

Conscription. Survival. Green-eyed children with my quick feet and Kilorn’s last name. That future was almost impossible before; now it’s nonexistent.”

Mare thinks this while she prepares to pledge herself to wed Maven. She says “if” is the worst word in the world because it offers promises that feel out of reach. Even words that once ruled her life, like “conscription” are no match for the hope “if” dashes. These lines also show how Mare once considered a life with Kilorn, even if she never thought of it until now. Perhaps that future felt too impossible to consider before and she only lets herself think about it now because it’s beyond her reach.

“The king shrugs. ‘Let them, Elara. The girls need a good night of sleep, and Sentinels would give any lady bad dreams.’ He chuckles, tossing a playful nod at the guards. They don’t respond, silent as stone. I don’t know if they’re allowed to talk at all.

After a moment of tense silence, the queen turns on her heel. ‘Very well.’ Like any wife, she hates her husband for challenging her, and like any queen, she hates the power the king holds over her.”

This passage comes after the ball where Mare is introduced, and the exchange here points to the gender inequality present in Mare’s world. Elara’s actions portray her dissatisfaction with her situation—second to the king both because she’s his wife and because she’s only queen. Mare never had similar thoughts about her parents, though, which may suggest that Mare only feels this way because dislikes Elara and wants to believe she is petty. It may also be that this is meant as foreshadowing for Elara’s later takeover.

“‘Sorry,’ I mumble, shaking my head. ‘Just thinking.’

He nods, looking almost apologetic. ‘About your family?’

The words hit me like a slap. They hadn’t even crossed my mind in the last few hours, and it sickens me. A few hours of silk and royalty have already changed me.”

This exchange between Mare and Cal takes place while Cal walks Mare to her room after the banquet. Mare has been absorbed in thoughts about Silver life and tension, and the mention of her family makes her realize how much she’s changed in such a short time. She is harsh on herself for not thinking about her family, which shows the high standards she places on herself. After the last few hours, it is understandable that Mare has a lot on her mind and has many thoughts. Her family are far away and not in immediate danger, so it makes sense that she would be more focused on herself right now. It may not be that silks and royalty have changed her—rather that she’s compartmentalizing her feelings and only dealing with what’s before her.

“‘Is that—not normal?’

Something flickers in his eyes as he hesitates, trying to find the words to tell me I’m different. Even among the Silvers, I’m something else.

‘Not to my knowledge,’ he finally says.

My voice sounds small, even to me. ‘I don’t think anything about me is normal anymore.’

He opens his mouth to speak but thinks better of it. There’s nothing he can say to make me feel better. There’s nothing he can do for me at all.

In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever smile again.”

Mare has just realized she can sense electricity in her blood, and Cal confirms that seems to be something unique to her. After a day of shocks (both physical and mental), Mare feels like her world has crumbled beyond repair. The final paragraph of this passage calls to stories like Cinderella, where a peasant girl suddenly finds her life made better by becoming royalty. Those fairy tales are ironic because becoming royalty for Mare has only made things worse.

“But when the two trainees move on to target practice, I realize they aren’t Security at all. The pair of them shoot bright red fireballs into the air, exploding targets as they rise and fall. Each one is a perfect shot, and even from up here, I recognize their smiling faces. Cal and Maven.

So this is what they do during the day. Not learning to rule, to be a king, or even a proper lord, but to train for war. Cal and Maven are deadly creatures, soldiers. But their battle isn’t just on the lines. It’s here, in a palace, on the broadcasts, in the heart of every person they rule. They will rule, not just by right of a crown but by might. Strength and power. It’s all the Silvers respect, and it’s all it takes to keep the rest of us slaves.”

Mare watches Cal and Maven training with their fire manipulation powers. Her observations about their training calls to the many ways to fight a war. Most prominently, there is the actual war between Norta and its neighboring nation, but there are also wars between individuals and internal wars with oneself. This passage also shows Mare’s Red outlook on the war. She thinks in terms of the Silvers training to keep Reds slaves, but she knows nothing of the potential greater threat from outside forces or about the stress Cal and Maven might be under to keep Norta and its people safe.

“Just as intriguing as the books are the maps along the wall, of the kingdom and other lands, old and new. Framed against the far wall, behind a pane of glass, is a vast, colorful map pieced together from separate sheets of paper. It’s at least twice as tall as me and dominates the room. Faded and ripped, it’s a tangled knot of red lines and blue coasts, green forests and yellow cities. This is the old world, the before world, with old names and old borders we no longer have any use for.”

This paragraph describes the maps displayed in Julian’s room. Mare focuses in on the map of the old world, which shows how lands and borders change over time. The poor condition of the map represents what is lost to history and how past events get torn up and rearranged for purposes of the future. Mare observes that the current world has no use for the old world, which is a dangerous mindset. The past informs the future and forgetting about what happened just because it’s in the past lays groundwork to repeat mistakes and injustices.a

“The urge to electrify something, to pour my rage and sorrow into a single bolt of biting power, has never felt so strong. Control it, I tell myself. I can’t believe I was worried about Cal burning the house down; lightning can destroy as easily as flame.”

Mare is at home and has just learned about Shade’s death in the war. On the way to her house, she was concerned that Cal would let his fire loose in a moment of emotional instability and burn down her family’s home. Here, she realizes how much control Cal has compared to her and how dangerous she truly is. Mare’s power is just as great, possibly greater, than Cal’s, but unlike Cal, she doesn’t have years of learning to handle it. Mare is just as capable of causing destruction as any Silver.

“But that’s the farthest thing from my mind as I watch Cal shake hands with his father. He pastes a magnificent smile on his face, donning a mask only I can see through.

Maven follows my gaze and my thoughts. ‘He wanted to do this. It was his choice.’

‘That doesn’t mean we have to like it.’

‘My son the general!’ King Tiberias booms, his proud voice cutting through the din of the party. For a second, when he pulls Cal close, putting an arm around his son, I forget he’s a king. I almost understand Cal’s need to please him.

What would I give to see my mother look at me like that, back when I was nothing but a thief? What would I give now?

This world is Silver, but it is also gray. There is no black-and-white.”

Cal has just informed Mare he’s going to the front line of the war in a troop that’s a mix of Reds and Silvers, all of which will be dressed as Reds to lull the enemy. For the first time, Mare realizes she cares about Cal. Even though he’s a Silver, he’s willing to risk his life to protect his country. Mare also sees just how similar Reds and Silvers are. Powers or no powers, emotions are the same. Mare equates Cal to Gisa—both are the golden children that Mare longs to be. The final lines show Mare’s thoughts shifting. The world may be controlled by Silvers, but those Silvers are not perfect and terrible gods. Mare can no longer view the world in black-and-white. The Silvers are not just evil, and the Reds are not just suffering.

“He speaks softly, but his voice fills my head. Though the ball looms on tomorrow’s horizon, I find myself thinking more about him and his hands and the faint smell of wood smoke that seems to follow Cal wherever he goes. It makes me think of warmth, of autumn, of home.

I blame my rapidly beating heart on the melody, the music that brims with so much life. Somehow this night reminds me of Julian’s lessons, his histories of the world before our own. That was a world of empires, of corruption, of war—and more freedom than I’ve ever known. But the people of that time are gone, their dreams in ruin, existing only in smoke and ash.

It’s our nature, Julian would say. We destroy. It’s the constant of our kind. No matter the color of blood, man will always fall.

I didn’t understand that lesson a few days ago, but now, with Cal’s hands in mine, guiding me with the lightest touch, I’m beginning to see what he meant.

I can feel myself falling.”

This passage of Mare’s thoughts comes while she dances with Cal in her rooms. She breaks down the barriers of society here, realizing very little other than abilities separates Reds from Silvers. She falls in love with Cal, showing a transformation in her character. Her new feelings represent what the future needs to bring. The societies and people of the past are gone, destroyed by greed, corruption, and violence. If the Reds and Silvers of now are not careful, that could be their fate, as well. Julian’s lesson described how humankind destroys itself and falls from power, no matter their blood, but Mare adds to its meaning. It doesn’t matter that she’s Red and Cal is Silver. In this moment, she is falling for him.

“‘So how long do I have to be here?’ He forces a whine into his voice, playing his part well. The more he can keep her distracted, the better our chances. One poke into the wrong head and everything will go up in smoke. And get us all killed for good measure.

‘Maven, you can’t just come and go as you please. You have duties, and you’ll stay as long as you’re needed.’ She fusses over him, adjusting his collar, his medals, his sleeves, and for a moment, it takes me off guard. This is a woman who invaded my thoughts, who took me away from my life, who I hate, and still there’s something good. She loves her son. And for all her faults, Maven loves her.”

These lines come before the parting ball. For the first time, Mare sees something good in Elara. Her love for Maven breaks down yet another barrier between Reds and Silvers. Families are families, no matter their blood color. It is possible that Elara put on this show to fool Mare and keep her in the dark about her betrayal, but it is unlikely. Later in the book, Elara reveals she knew about everything Mare planned, including the attack at the parting ball. Elara has no reason to fool Mare about her feelings for Maven and given the extremes she goes to for Maven to be king, it is likely Elara’s emotions are genuine.

“If all goes to plan, he’ll never hug his sister again. Evangeline will have lost a brother, just like me. Even though I know that pain firsthand, I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for her. Especially not with the way she holds on to Cal. They look like complete opposites, he in his simple uniform while she glitters like a star in a dress of razor spikes. I want to kill her, I want to be her. But there’s nothing I can do about that. Evangeline and Cal are not my problem tonight.”

Mare has just shaken hands with Evangeline’s brother, one of the four assassination marks for the parting ball. Mare’s feelings toward Evangeline are a mixture of hate and jealousy. Mare hates Evangeline for being cruel to her and for making Cal miserable, and she is jealous because Mare has feelings for Cal, but Evangeline will be his partner. This passage is a reminder that for everything she faces, Mare is still a teenage girl. She has great responsibility upon her shoulders but still succumbs to teenage emotions and angst.

“There’s no schedule for today, as everyone is too busy leaving to teach or train. Fleeing might be a better word, because that’s certainly what this looks like from my vantage point in the entrance hall. I used to think the Silvers were untouchable gods who were never threatened, never scared. Now I know the opposite is true. They’ve spent so long at the top, protected and isolated, that they’ve forgotten they can fall. Their strength has become their weakness.

Once, I was afraid of these walls, frightened by such beauty. But I see the cracks now. It’s like the day of the bombing, when I realized Silvers were not invincible. Then it was an explosion—now a few bullets have shattered diamondglass, revealing fear and paranoia beneath. Silvers fleeing from Reds—lions running from mice. The king and queen oppose each other, the court has their own alliances, and Cal—the perfect prince, the good soldier—is a torturous, terrible enemy. Anyone can betray anyone.”

This passage comes the morning after the ball. The night before, Mare helped Kilorn and the others escape after watching Cal torture Farley. Her emotions are in a roil, and she isn’t sure what to think of Cal. She still has feelings for him, but she can’t forgive him for his behavior the night before, even though he was reluctant. She doesn’t see things from Cal’s perspective—the difficult decisions Cal is forced to make. Mare’s desire to see Reds free of oppression blinds her to all else. Here, she also realizes that Silvers are not all-powerful. Unlike her, they have never known fear, and now that they do, they don’t know how to react, which makes them vulnerable.

“‘The Bridge and East Archeon are for civilians, the common Silvers, though many are richer than some nobles.’

‘Common Silvers?’ I almost have to laugh. ‘There’s such a thing?’

Maven just shrugs. ‘Of course. They’re merchants, businessmen, soldiers, officers, shop owners, politicians, land barons, artists, and intellectuals. Some marry into High Houses, some rise above their station, but they don’t have noble blood, and their abilities aren’t as, well, powerful.’”

Maven explains Silver society to Mare here. Up until this point, Mare viewed all Silvers as godlike beings who lived luxurious lives and never had to work. The idea of common Silvers takes her aback because it means there are Silvers who don’t have picture-perfect lives. The common Silvers are also less powerful, meaning they are also beneath the noble Silver ranks. They are not oppressed like Reds, but they aren’t in power either.

“A metal worm appears, coasting to a stop in front of us. The sides are raw metal, welded and bolted together, with slit-like windows. A door slides open on shrieking tracks, spilling a warm glow onto the platform.

Farley smiles to us from a seat inside the door. She waves a hand, gesturing for us to join her. ‘All aboard.’

‘The techies call it the Undertrain,’ she says as we shakily take our seats. ‘Remarkably fast, and it runs on the ancient tracks the Silvers never bothered to look for.’”

Mare and Maven have just snuck away from a show they were attending, and though Mare and the Guard don’t know it yet, this moment puts them in great danger because Maven learns many of their secrets here. The Undertrain represents both Red ingenuity and Silver laziness. Though the Reds look hopeless to an outsider, they have an entire network of Guards and hidden advantages that the Silvers knew nothing about until this moment. The tracks are evidence that Reds use whatever is at their disposal. They also represent how Silvers don’t see threats that aren’t right before them. While Silvers focus on keeping Reds from rebelling and rioting, they miss the cracks in their infrastructure that allow Reds access to Silver territory. The Silvers don’t believe such weaknesses exist and so never even look for them.

“As Maven and I are driven across the Bridge, heading back to the palace after our long day of handshakes and secret plans, I wish the dawn would begin tonight instead of tomorrow morning. I’m intensely aware of the rumble around us while we pass through the city. Everything pulses with energy, from the transports on the streets to the lights woven into steel and concrete. It reminds me of the moment in Grand Garden long ago, when I watched the nymphs play in a fountain or the greenys attend their flowers. In that instant, I found their world beautiful. I understand now why they want to keep it, to maintain their rule over all the rest, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let them.”

Mare and Maven return to the palace the night before the planned coup attempt. Surrounded by Silver life, Mare sees the beauty in their world now because she’s come to know Silvers as people, not just power-hungry beings. Mare is both Red and Silver in these lines. She understands Silvers and the life they’ve built, but she doesn’t agree it should be only for Silvers. She wants the same for Reds and as much as she’s grown to care for Cal, Maven, and others, she won’t back down from her beliefs to spare them.

“‘I wish things were different,’ he whispers, but I can still hear him.

The words take me back to my home and my father when he said the same thing so long ago. To think that Cal and my father, a broken Red man, can share the same thoughts makes me pause. I can’t help looking back, watching the sun dip behind his silhouette. He stares down at the training army before looking back to me, torn between his duty and whatever he feels for the little lightning girl.

‘Julian says you’re like her,’ he says quietly, eyes thoughtful. ‘Like she used to be.’

Coriane. His mother. The thought of the dead queen, a person I never knew, somehow makes me sad. She was taken too soon from those she loved, and she left a hole they’re trying to make me fill.”

This exchange between Mare and Cal is yet another turning point in Mare’s feelings for Cal. She waffles between agreeing and opposing him the entire book, and here, she sees yet another similarity between them—wanting things to be different. Cal’s father married his mother for love, rather than power, and Coriane was killed because she wanted to change Silver society. Cal sees similar desires in Mare. He wants to believe change is possible, but he fears trying and failing. Mare represents everything that’s possible but not certain.

“Cal doesn’t answer, and I expect to see the rage I feel reflected in his eyes. Instead, I see nothing but sadness. He whispers again, and the words make me want to fall down and never get up again.

‘I wish things were different.’

I expect the sparks, I expect lightning, but it never comes. When I feel cold hands on my neck and metal shackles on my wrists, I know why. Instructor Arven, the silence, the one who can make us human, stands behind me, pushing down all my strength until I’m nothing but a weeping girl again. He’s taken it all away, all the strength and all the power I thought I had. I have lost.”

Cal ends the coup attempt by capturing Mare and Maven. Stripped of her lightning, Mare feels powerless. Throughout the book, she wants Silvers to have their powers removed so they can understand what it feels like to be Red. Now when her power is taken, she understands why the Silvers are afraid. Like them, Mare came to believe her power protected her and made her strong. In her public execution, she rediscovers lightning isn’t the only power she wields, but here, she feels the thing Silvers fear most and finally understands why.

“In the stories, the old fairy tales, a hero comes. But all my heroes are gone or dead. No one is coming for me.”

These lines call back to Mare’s earlier allusion to fairy tales. Here, she and Cal wait for their execution the next morning, and Mare has lost all hope. She believes Kilorn and Shade are dead, so neither will come to her rescue. Cal is as good as dead and can’t save them, and Maven’s death is metaphorical. The boy she thought Maven was died (or perhaps never lived), and Mare is still too stunned from the upending of her world to realize she can save herself.