Stone Blind

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Statues

Statues, both real and imagined, are symbolic in several different ways. Upon decapitation, the Medusa-Narrator relates an imagined statue of her murderer, Perseus—one that is never made. This imagined statue symbolizes Medusa’s humanity and mercy because she could have turned Perseus to stone but chose not to, defying the dehumanizing label of monster with which myth has branded her. The Medusa-Narrator envisions this statue as a work of beauty, representing Perseus as “well-muscled: his biceps are clearly defined and his shoulders are straight” (286). This is the heroic version of Perseus that the myths perpetrate, and Medusa’s refusal to create a statue that conforms to this narrative also reflects a spark of rebellion against the injustice of the accepted version of events. As statues frequently commemorate gods and heroes in the Greek world, the absence of Perseus’ statue implies Medusa’s belief that men who carry out atrocious acts are not worthy of celebration or even remembrance.

In contrast, the statues that Perseus creates using Medusa’s head when he petrifies King Polydectes and his men, Phineas and his forces, and Medusa’s own mother, Ceto, symbolize his lack of humanity and compassion. The physically beautiful Perseus carries out metaphorically “monstrous” actions, speaking to the theme of Appearance and Monstrosity. Though Perseus’ statues are an act of creation, they paradoxically represent death and destruction.

Reed Flute

The reed flute that Athene invents to mimic Euryale’s shrieks over the decapitated Medusa symbolizes grief and loss. The description of Athene fashioning the flute from a reed recalls the imagery of decapitation: “[She] took a sharp little knife and hacked at the plants, cutting a large hollow reed” (300). The violent imagery shows Athene imbuing the flute’s creation with a sense of pain that it will disseminate eternally through its music. The goddess ends the reed’s significance as a simple plant and recasts it as an instrument that can convey meaning, specifically the emotions of grief and loss, which can be felt like a physical wound. The flute’s music sounds like the “desperate cry of a reed that has been severed from its root” (300), the additional decapitation imagery reflecting the intensity of pain that the music conveys.

In an uncharacteristic moment of reflection, Athene’s crafting of the flute shows her considering how her actions, particularly her curse upon Medusa, have caused enormous suffering. By creating an instrument that captures such pain, Athene also generates a way for future generations to access a side of Medusa’s story that classical myth largely ignores. Music, therefore, becomes a way to immortalize the grief and loss experienced by Medusa and her sisters.

Medusa’s Head

Medusa’s severed head is a symbol of death and destruction. Perseus murders Medusa for his own ends, transforming her from a woman into a weapon. The decisions facing Medusa before her decapitation mirror the choices she was given before Poseidon sexually assaulted her: Poseidon forced Medusa to choose between her own violation and the death of a girl, whereas Perseus’ attack forces her to choose between dying or killing Perseus. Medusa tries to limit the destruction she does to others by choosing death at the hands of Perseus, but her decision will ultimately contribute to the deaths of many others, as Perseus uses her severed head to petrify his enemies. The Medusa-Narrator struggles with her role in so much death and destruction, especially that of her mother Ceto, asking, “Why didn’t I close my eyes?” (333). As a head, Medusa is used without her consent to murder friends and foes alike.

Athene’s use of Medusa’s head further reinforces its function as a weapon that can cause death and destruction even without intent: After donning Medusa’s head on her breastplate, Athene accidentally petrifies a favored priestess. The Medusa-Narrator reminds the goddess that she never gave her the power of reverse petrification, and Athene ultimately embraces the destruction that her curse has wreaked by allowing the Medusa-Narrator to petrify her.