The Hero and the Crown

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1984

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-7

Part 1, Chapter 8-Part 2, Chapter 13

Part 2, Chapters 14-18

Part 2, Chapters 19-25

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Fire

Fire is a symbol that helps to develop the theme of Building Strength and Courage Through Disability. Fire causes many of Aerin’s injuries, and she must adapt to the effects of each interaction with fire, often by changing her approach and learning to persevere regardless of difficulty. Ultimately, fire is the thing that Aerin must defeat and conquer. While smaller flames are stymied by her use of kenet, she must find greater sources of protection and healing to combat the severe injuries of Maur’s fire. In this climactic battle scene, the specific image of fire going down her throat and burning off her hair represents her movement toward a new identity. Aerin’s many brushes with death and experiences with disability allow her to embody new versions of herself, and fire is a key part of these transformations, often literally destroying her so that she can remake herself from the ashes of her previous identity. In the end, Aerin harnesses the power of fire itself with Gonturan’s blue flame, showing that she can now use her fears and experiences as a weapon to defend herself. While fire can still harm her, Aerin has transcended the fear of being burned.

Physical Appearance

Aerin and Luthe both are described as having unique physical appearances. (They are respectively redheaded and blond in a world of dark-haired people). However, Aerin’s changing appearance is a motif that deepens the theme of Asserting Identity Within Complex Family Dynamics. Because Aerin’s red hair, pale skin, and green eyes are all features inherited from her mother’s bloodline, they separate her from the rest of her Damarian family; due to her appearance, she is regularly mocked and excluded. Aerin initially dislikes her appearance, and her attitude reflects the internal damage that this exclusion has caused. Although she does not make overt efforts to fit in with her family, she refuses to celebrate her appearance, even though she is constantly curious to know how closely she resembles her mother.

The motif eventually develops into the way that Agsded and Aerin simultaneously reflect and contrast with one another. She struggles to look at Agsded while they fight because they resemble each other so closely, and she must reassure herself, “I am not the man before me” (188). Key to this conflict is the fact that her appearance has changed after the fight with Maur, symbolizing her movement into a new identity that transcends both of her bloodlines. Rather than being a copy of her mother’s bloodline or an image of her father, she has established her own identity. When she returns to Damar, her attitude has changed toward her appearance, symbolizing her growth into a person who can find a home and family in Damar, despite her differences from the citizens around her.

Swords

Swords are a symbol of power, fate, and obedience in the novel. People do not carry swords lightly, and Aerin’s choice to use a sword to fight the first dragon is shown to be dangerous and foolish because, like the dragon itself, she does not yet understand the weight of the world she has entered. Arlbeth explicitly makes the symbol clear when he gives her a sword of the king and punishes her for acting independently; she therefore learns that weapons should only be taken up when one understands the duty they require. Even though Aerin soon realizes the importance of this duty, she does not always realize the cost of her actions, as is demonstrated when she loses her sword fighting Maur and must kill him with a hunting knife. While Aerin deserves to carry a sword, the novel repeatedly enforces the theme that taking up arms always exacts a price beyond what the weapon’s wielder expects to pay.

The final and most important sword in the novel is Gonturan, the titular blue sword of McKinley’s previously published novel. This sword symbolizes Aerin’s ability to take control of her fate and duty even as she pursues the duty set out for her by her mother’s bloodline. Gonturan’s uniqueness and power make it a character in its own right, but Aerin’s ability to wield a sword of such importance demonstrates her growth into an independent person whose success is no longer reliant on the will of her people and family. In this way, Gonturan represents the theme of Asserting Identity Within Complex Family Dynamics, as Aerin’s use of the fabled blade also symbolizes her new ability to destroy her family curses and carve out her own place in the world.