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Darkness Vs Light

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In the fantasy novels, Shadow and Bone and Ruin and Rising, Leigh Bardugo uses colorful language and a whimsical tone to tell the story of a young war orphan girl, Alina Starkov, that discovers a special power. The story moves forward with Alina’s ascent to power and her eventual downfall, and her last battle with the Darkling. Bardugo writes both novels in first-person narrative which allows the readers to explore the fantasy world, and learn and experience with Alina. Bardugo also uses the motif of darkness vs. light throughout both novels to symbolize the suffering that war brings, and the hope that everyone clings to. In Shadow and Bone, Bardugo highlights the dominant theme of war by making it the driving force behind the actions of the …show more content…
The motif of darkness vs. light is presented from the very beginning of Shadow and Bone. The country of Ravka is facing a problem with the Shadow Fold which is “a swath of nearly impenetrable darkness that grew with every passing year and crawled with horrors.” As the Shadow Fold grows larger and larger, the monsters that live in there attack the citizens that live near the borders. The only way to destroy the Shadow Fold is with the powers of the Sun Summoner (Bardugo 32). The protagonist and the antagonist are the dominant example of darkness vs. light. One has the power of darkness and the other has powers of the sun. The Darkling powers is not enough to control the monsters within the Shadow Fold and so he needs the powers of Alina to keep the monsters at bay (they are afraid of the light). In the novels, the motif of darkness vs. light is used to enforce the idea of evil and suffering, and good and hope (Barrett 1). This idea is elaborated more in Ruin and Rising where Alina becomes sickly and weak, and the Darkling obtains the throne to the kingdom. She is trapped underground by the Apparent which affects her ability to use her light powers. During these times, the Apparent uses Alina influences as the Sun Summoner to gain a following. In the quote, “The Saint woke every day to the sound of her name being chanted, and each day her army grew, its ranks swollen with the hungry and the hopeless, with wounded …show more content…
The internal (the Shadow Fold) and external conflicts (war between the border countries) that plague the kingdom has a great influence on Alina’s life. In the beginning of Shadow and Bone, Alina is in an orphanage for children that lost their parents during the war. As she grows up, she leaves the orphanage and decide to join the army at Poliznaya to aid the towns that are suffering from war. From her early life to the point where she was setting off on her own, it is evident that war is the driving force behind her actions (Bardugo 29). Besides the external wars, internal wars are also happening as a result of the Shadow Fold. The King of Ravka supported the recruitment of the Grisha (people that can use magic) to help destroy the Shadow Fold. As a result of that, when Alina’s unique power was discovered she was summoned to the capital to train with the others. War had a huge impact on Alina’s childhood and her ascent to power (Bardugo 134). Deception is also a major theme in Shadow and Bone. Toward the end of Shadow and Bone, Alina finally discovers the truth about the Darkling (Gale 19). From the quote, “He never intended to destroy it. The fold is his creation,” the readers come to realize that the Darkling was deceiving everyone around him. His greed for power led him to create the Shadow Fold hundreds of year ago, but he soon found out that he was not able to control it. In the present time, the Darkling poses as the

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