69 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer L. ArmentroutA Soul of Ash and Blood
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
“The Dark One”
Cas’s embrace and eventual rejection of the title “the Dark One” symbolize his acknowledgment of the narrative imposed upon him by others and his pursuit of authenticity and redemption in the eyes of those he cares about, particularly Poppy (89).
The Ascended invented “the Dark One” to fabricate “a shadow figure to hold up as an example of how evil Atlantians were, using the mere threat of such a specter to frighten further and control the kingdom’s people” (90). While Cas unleashes his violence on Solis’s Ascended, he embraces the title, believing he is a “tulpa,” or a being willed into existence by others’ imagination. As he avenges people who tortured him for decades, Cas realizes “the Dark One hadn’t been real. Not in the beginning. But he [exists] now” (90). The Ascended created the name to scare mortals into submission, but by reclaiming the title as he brutalizes the Ascended themselves, Cas undermines their power and uses their own narrative against them.
However, when Cas gets to know and falls in love with Poppy, he rejects his “Dark One” moniker, asking her to say his real name as they have sex. Cas rejecting his “Dark One” persona with Poppy illustrates Love’s Influence on Identity. Cas recognizes Poppy’s inherent benevolence, and he wants to be someone worthy of her love. By asking Poppy to use his true name, Cas reveals his desire to break free of the expectations others have imposed on him and engage with Poppy authentically, not as Hawke or the Dark One but as Cas himself.
Poppy’s Silence
Poppy’s silence symbolizes the power of seemingly small acts of rebellion in the face of oppression and lack of control. Even though Poppy’s life in Solis operates under oppressive authority, Poppy uses silence to maintain control over her life. To outsiders, Poppy’s identity and personality are shrouded in mystery aside from a few rumors about her kindness. Due to her silence, even those near her, including Cas, know little about her. Because so few people know anything meaningful about her, they cannot exploit her secrets, allowing her to maintain a sliver of control in her otherwise subjugated life.
Cas experiences her silence firsthand, observing, “That was how she responded to any question I asked. A nod or a shake of the head. She hadn’t spoken to me. Nor had she talked in front of me” (236). Cas becomes increasingly frustrated with Poppy’s silence, wanting to gain her trust to ease his plan of capture. He resorts to taunting her and making sexual innuendos, which finally breaks Poppy’s soundlessness. Cas wants “to shout in triumph that [he had] gotten her to speak to [him] and now knew how to get her to respond” (249), illustrating how powerful Poppy’s silence was as a means to control her interactions with Cas.
Snow
Snow in A Soul of Ash and Blood represents freedom and choice. Traditionally, snow represents purity and preservation as it is white and cold, a similar symbol to Poppy’s veil. Unlike her headwear, Poppy loves the snow for its natural beauty. Just before kissing Cas in the garden, she explains to Cas, “[W]hen it snows, and at dusk. The flakes dust the leaves and the ground, but not a lot makes it inside here. Then it really is like a different world” (396-97). As the snowflakes fall freely to the ground and create new worlds, Poppy wants to experience choice and free will. As “[t]he scent of snow [is] in the air” (505), Kieran asks Poppy, “If you had a choice, what would you be doing right now?” (505). Poppy answers she would wander freely under the open sky, similar to a snowflake.
Cas and Poppy further dissimilate the traditional symbolism of snow as Cas feeds from Poppy, and the couple has sex in the snow. Their sexual relationship becomes as natural to them as the elements. Although Poppy stabs Cas moments prior, he hunts her down outside and drinks her blood before the couple becomes uncontrollable with desire. Cas describes their encounter: “She [clings] to me as I [take] her to the snow-covered ground, my mouth never leaving hers. Part of that [is] my bite” (638). Cas and Poppy spend much of the novel resisting each other’s sexual desires. In the snow, they eventually stop holding back and naturally learn to respond to each other’s touch.
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By Jennifer L. Armentrout
