Post by Raven on Mar 21, 2013 21:15:35 GMT -5
Graceling is a stunning opener to a marvelous series by Kristin Cashore which follows the young Lady Katsa. The king’s niece is one of the unusual Graclings, children whose eyes turn two different colors and who are gifted with inhuman powers. None of the Graced are liked, but Katsa is feared for her Grace to kill. She becomes quite a loner, and is determined to do good with her horrible power, but her uncle has other ideas. King Randa has been using her as a dog, sending her after the people who have wronged him, to injure or to kill them. In Cashore’s novel, she uses the character of Katsa to display the main themes of independence, friendship, and overcoming the odds.
The theme of independence is shown throughout the book, especially in the first chapters. Katsa rarely relied on anyone else, and when she had to work with others, she could be somewhat hostile. This was shown most obviously when she was asking Ror, the king of Lienid, to let her go find his son, her friend Po. "'And you need a Monsean guard,' Ror said...
Katsa flicked her hand impatiently. 'Very well, a guard. But if they can't keep up with me, I'll leave them behind.'" Even though Katsa logically needed help, she insisted that if anyone impeded her in any way, she would abandon them. She trusted only herself, no matter how impossible it was for her to do everything herself.
Despite her hostility, however, Katsa was a very good friend. She occasionally denied it, but just looking at her friends' loyalty and love for her showed the truth. In one scene, Katsa was worrying about what might have happened had someone seen her friends sleeping in the woods.
When she demanded what they would have done had they been seen, her friend, Giddon, answers, "You would've thought of some story. You would've saved us, like you do everyone else." He showed complete faith in her, and when he normally would have been more careful, the fact that she would be there comforted him enough that he relaxed.
Almost without exception, everyone Katsa met was afraid of her. After all, she was King Randa's Gracling killer. However, she overcame all of their beliefs, and realized that she didn't have to be a killer when she realizes her Grace wasn't even killing. "Her Grace was not killing. Her Grace was survival. She laughed then. For it was almost like saying her Grace was life." After she came to that conclusion, she asked Po what he thought. "Would it surprise you?"
"No. It makes much more sense to me."
"It's absurd."
"Is it? I don't think so. And it's not just your own life. You've saved many lives with your Grace." Despite what everyone said of her, thought of her, Katsa was always saving others with her Grace, which everyone thought was killing.
In summary, Cashore's character Katsa made a strong character for a strong story. She showed that someone with enough determination can overcome anything, even themselves. Despite what everyone seemed to think, she made strong friendships and saved many lives. Cashore made a character to aspire to be like for her heroine.
The theme of independence is shown throughout the book, especially in the first chapters. Katsa rarely relied on anyone else, and when she had to work with others, she could be somewhat hostile. This was shown most obviously when she was asking Ror, the king of Lienid, to let her go find his son, her friend Po. "'And you need a Monsean guard,' Ror said...
Katsa flicked her hand impatiently. 'Very well, a guard. But if they can't keep up with me, I'll leave them behind.'" Even though Katsa logically needed help, she insisted that if anyone impeded her in any way, she would abandon them. She trusted only herself, no matter how impossible it was for her to do everything herself.
Despite her hostility, however, Katsa was a very good friend. She occasionally denied it, but just looking at her friends' loyalty and love for her showed the truth. In one scene, Katsa was worrying about what might have happened had someone seen her friends sleeping in the woods.
When she demanded what they would have done had they been seen, her friend, Giddon, answers, "You would've thought of some story. You would've saved us, like you do everyone else." He showed complete faith in her, and when he normally would have been more careful, the fact that she would be there comforted him enough that he relaxed.
Almost without exception, everyone Katsa met was afraid of her. After all, she was King Randa's Gracling killer. However, she overcame all of their beliefs, and realized that she didn't have to be a killer when she realizes her Grace wasn't even killing. "Her Grace was not killing. Her Grace was survival. She laughed then. For it was almost like saying her Grace was life." After she came to that conclusion, she asked Po what he thought. "Would it surprise you?"
"No. It makes much more sense to me."
"It's absurd."
"Is it? I don't think so. And it's not just your own life. You've saved many lives with your Grace." Despite what everyone said of her, thought of her, Katsa was always saving others with her Grace, which everyone thought was killing.
In summary, Cashore's character Katsa made a strong character for a strong story. She showed that someone with enough determination can overcome anything, even themselves. Despite what everyone seemed to think, she made strong friendships and saved many lives. Cashore made a character to aspire to be like for her heroine.