44 pages • 1 hour read
Becky ChambersA Prayer for the Crown-Shy
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Sibling Dex
First introduced in A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Sibling Dex continues to grow as a character over the course of A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. The honorific “Sibling“ identifies Dex as a monk of a religious order, in this case, an order devoted to Allalae, the God of Small Comforts. Dex is nonbinary, using the pronouns they/them. Likewise, the honorific “Sibling” serves as a nongendered title for a monk, in much the same way that “Sister” or “Brother” are gendered terms for nuns or monks in the Christian tradition.
Dex began their work in the only city on Panga, a small moon. Originally, they tended gardens throughout the city, living in an urban monastery. At the beginning of the previous book, they chose to change vocation to become a tea service monk, traveling around Panga in a cart. A tea service monk offers tea to people needing comfort. Dex’s decision speaks to their need to find purpose in life, and their longing to fill a void they feel within. In particular, Dex wants to travel through unpopulated areas and separate themselves, at least temporarily, from human constructs.
The previous book marks Dex’s outward journey into the wilds, while A Prayer for the Crown-Shy brings Dex back to civilization with new perspectives. They have become adept at providing tea service and have expanded their interpersonal life to include friendship with a non-human. Dex discovers through their journey that while it is good to be able to consider human constructs while apart from them, the comfort and conveniences these constructs provide are also beneficial as long as they are sustainable and contribute to The Balance Between Nature and Technology. For example, in the opening paragraphs of the novel, Dex identifies the “flip side of that equation—the side in which humans had made existence as comfortable as technology would sustainably allow” (3-4). In other words, there are excellent reasons for humans to develop conveniences and practices that make their lives easier, provided that they do not do so at the cost of the natural environment. Dex demonstrates a keen understanding of this trade off.
After meeting Mosscap, Dex also demonstrates empathy and concern for the robot’s well-being. Dex worries about The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence by their discomfort with Mosscap’s readiness to do menial tasks for them and the people they meet along the way. Dex shows that they have absorbed the lessons of history, that even constructed objects such as robots ought to have agency and free will.
Despite Dex’s belief and participation in a society that values mutually beneficial exchange of service and goods, they are a person who finds it difficult to accept what others wish to give them. Thus, Dex worries while in Stump that they have not “earned” the right to a good dinner or bath because they have not offered tea. A mark of their development as a character is Dex’s growing understanding that receiving is just as important as giving, and that self-care is as important as other-care.
Chambers creates in Dex an example of the monk archetype, a character who wanders in search of meaning, learning lessons as they meet other people and experiencing new challenges. Such spiritual loners are not necessarily formally religious, but they both receive and offer guidance from those they meet. Such characters are deeply rooted in English literature, appearing as early as Anglo-Saxon and continuing through to present day popular culture.
Splendid Speckled Mosscap
Splendid Speckled Mosscap is a robot who travels with Dex to visit human villages and learn the answer to the question, “What do humans need?” (6). Chambers portrays Mosscap as intelligent, kind, and brave. It volunteered to leave the other robots to learn what has happened to humanity in the years after the Awakening. As a being used to having others of its kind around it, traveling alone would have been daunting. But Mosscap seems to have handled it bravely. Although Mosscap is an artificial construct built out of remnants of materials, it is also a product of the wild. As such, Mosscap is an almost perfect balance of technology and nature. It has grown up in a natural environment, surrounded by both other robots and living creatures. It understands itself to be both of and in the world.
Mosscap is a naïf, an archetype who initially knows little of the world. Such characters often populate coming-of-age stories wherein the character grows and matures with time. Mosscap knows nothing of humanity when it finds Dex in the forest in the previous book; it looks to Dex to teach it what it needs to know to find the answer to its question.
In addition, Chambers uses Mosscap to inform readers about the world she has created. Through Mosscap’s questions and Dex’s answers, Chambers can engage in world-building without resorting to simple exposition.
Mrs. Waverly
Mrs. Waverly is a woman who lives in Stump, the first village Dex and Mosscap visit. She is not a leader or any kind of official in the town. However, when people fall silent at Mosscap‘s appearance and do not know what to do, she steps up to welcome the pair to the village. This action demonstrates her self-confidence and desire to put the visitors at ease. In addition, her actions in providing a meal and bath for Dex reveal her nurturing and compassionate qualities. Mrs. Waverly represents what is best about humanity in her actions.
Leroy
Dex and Mosscap encounter Leroy when they visit the Riverlands. Leroy is gendered as male, and Chambers uses masculine pronouns when describing him. Leroy is the printer in the town, although this is a much larger concept than in contemporary life. His role is more that of an engineer or machinist, rather than someone who prints words on paper. He has what would be considered a 3-D printer, which is able to print parts and items from a variety of materials. Thus, he can manufacture needed items in the town. When Mosscap needs a new part, Leroy engineers it.
As an individual, Leroy is kind and compassionate. When he sees that Dex needs some companionship and sexual comfort, he offers both. Dex likes him and plans on visiting him in the future. In addition, Leroy demonstrates himself to be a good listener and a non-judgmental helper. When Mosscap tries to explain why having a biological part transplanted into its robot body upsets it, Leroy is understanding, and he works to imagine a way he can help Mosscap’s physical and emotional problem.
Mx. Avery
Mx. Avery is a middle-aged person who wears a braid and hand-made clothing, all from natural materials. They approach Dex and Mosscap and invite them to go fishing, and they are apologetic about the way their neighbors are making Dex and Mosscap feel unwelcome. Mx. Avery is both frustrated and annoyed by this behavior. Mx. Avery suggests that Mosscap should do whatever makes it comfortable about fishing, giving evidence that they are a kind and open person, despite the narrow views on technology held by others in their community. Mx. Avery provides a well-balanced perspective on the style of life held by those who live in the coastlands.
Nora
Nora is Dex’s biological mother. She lives with her former partner, her current partner, their former partners and current partners, and all their children on a family farm. She is kind, sensitive, and loving, and she works to make sure everyone in this large, extended family feels welcome. Nora, like Dex, is highly concerned with everyone else’s needs, although it appears she receives what she needs from the love and kindness of those around her.
Theo
Theo is Dex’s biological father. He is a quiet, compassionate man who exhibits great love and compassion for Dex. He makes it clear that while he is very happy to meet Mosscap, it is spending time with Dex that makes him happiest. Of all the humans that Mosscap meets, Theo is the first and only human who asks him what robots need. This question demonstrates Theo’s insightful nature, his interest in what others think, and his desire to truly understand robot-kind. He finds his own life fulfilling, and all his needs are met. However, knowing that the robot and robot-kind are doing well is important to his own sense of satisfaction, demonstrating Theo’s compassion and understanding of reciprocity.
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