Cinder

“‘It’s not like wires are contagious,’ Cinder muttered to her empty booth.” 

Cinder works as a mechanic at the weekly market, where the baker, Chang Sacha, also has a booth. Chang Sacha’s son gets too close to Cinder’s booth. His mother retrieves him before he gets any closer to Cinder because she is a cyborg. The “contagious” comment possesses special meaning due to fear of the plague, or letumosis, which is a central part of this story. Chang Sacha treats Cinder as if she is infected with the plague because she is a cyborg. 

“Perhaps I will have to sell both of you off as spare parts.” 

Cinder’s stepmother, Adri, reflects the societal belief that cyborgs and androids lack value beyond their service to humans and their monetary value. Adri threatens to sell Cinder and Iko, emphasizing that legally she has the power to do so. This warning foreshadows a fear of Cinder’s that comes to fruition; Adri does sell Iko, leaving her personality chip for Cinder. 

“Cinder’s netlink took over, as it did in moments when she couldn’t think for herself. Searching, connecting, feeding information to her she didn’t want.” 

As a cyborg, Cinder has a netlink that is connected to information that quickly arrives to her. Although it can be useful and is part of who she is, this automatic response occurs when she sees the first symptoms of letumosis in someone she cares about: her stepsister, Peony. The flood of information feels overwhelming. Cinder’s netlink is one of the character elements that distinguishes her from humans and Lunars. 

“Some surgeon, some stranger, opening her skull and inserting their made-up system of wires and conductors while she had lain helpless beneath them. Someone had altered her brain. Someone had altered her.” 

Cinder draws a parallel to the intrusion and forced participation as part of the cyborg draft to when surgeons altered her from human to cyborg. While in the lab, she is restrained on a table, experiencing a significant form of invasion: nonconsensual access to her control panel, the equivalent of her mind. Both instances create a feeling of helplessness and lack of free will. 

“And then there was the pain. Every muscle burning. Every joint screaming. Her body in rebellion as it discovered what had been done to it.” 

Dr. Erland asks about Cinder’s memory prior to her accident that results in her change from human to cyborg. She remembers nothing except the pain. According to the doctor, the number and type of synthetic alterations within Cinder do not match the injuries that occur in a hover accident. The severe damage to her body and the necessary repairs create a type of meta experience for the body: the awareness of what it became. Important information begins to surface regarding Cinder’s history and the doctor’s theories about what makes Cinder unique.  

“This is much bigger than you realize. You have no idea how important […] no idea of your worth.” 

Dr. Erland discovers that Cinder is immune to letumosis and therefore of great importance to society. The extent of her importance remains a secret to her until the end of the story, but the seed is planted. Cinder negotiates payment for her participation and exerts her right to be a volunteer, rather than a forced participant. 

“I’m sure I’ll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.”

Dr. Erland is in awe of Cinder’s structure, especially the adjustments and additions that make her a cyborg. Cinder, and those she usually comes into contact with, do not hold such positive interpretations of her mechanical parts. Cinder’s sarcastic humor makes several appearances throughout the novel. This statement takes on more meaning as she develops feelings for Prince Kai and keeps the cyborg nature secret for fear of his rejection. 

“Her hand moved to her neck, tracing the ridges of her spine as her gaze traveled over the metal vertebrae, those metallic invaders.”

During the letumosis research, Cinder learns of additional synthetic elements throughout her body, all exposed to her in a holograph. Although Dr. Erland perceives them positively, through a scientific mind, the new information causes Cinder to think about how much of her is human, how much of her is machine, and what that amalgam means for her sense of identity. 

“Cinder squeezed her fists together, nerves twisting in the base of her stomach, as Kai recoiled from the image.

A girl. A machine. A freak.” 

Cinder continually worries about Kai’s reaction if and when he learns that she is a cyborg. Her worry seems warranted following Kai’s response to her holograph, which is displayed in Dr. Erland’s office. Kai responds negatively to the holograph, aware that it is a cyborg, but unaware that it is Cinder—a girl he appears to be fond of and who reciprocates his fondness.

“His smile darkened, just barely, as if to say that Cinder’s ‘volunteer’ status would only last so long as she did return voluntarily. She was valuable now. He had no intention of letting her walk out forever.”

Cinder lacks choice in multiple areas of her life, one of which is her forced participation in the cyborg draft for letumosis research. At the time when she finally receives acknowledgement of her value, it is only for how she can be used to save others from the plague, rather than her inherent value as a living being. Her value also comes tethered to less freedom. 

“Obey your orders. Right. Like, ‘Do the chores, Cinder. Get a job so I can pay my bills, Cinder. Go play lab rat for these deranged scientists, Cinder.’” 

This statement by Cinder occurs during an argument between Cinder and Adri. Adri doubts that the researchers let Cinder go after being volunteered as part of cyborg draft. Cinder responds with anger towards her forced participation, as well as the blame Adri places on her for problems in the family, such as her late husband’s death. Resigned to the knowledge that Cinder is home again, Adri insists that Cinder obeys her commands. Cinder’s response aligns with language from “Cinderella,” and all of the tasks Cinderella’s evil stepmother required of her. 

“She has no more use for it.”

Cinder visits the quarantine to see Peony. While there, she sees Chang Sacha die and a med-droid remove her ID chip. Wondering the reason for the removal, Cinder asks the med-droid, and the above statement is offered. Everyone has an ID chip, and the simple removal following death speaks to the lack of honor to those who die from the plague and how technology can create a cold and unsympathetic society. 

“But it didn’t make it any easier when she wondered, what if she were wrong? What if Prince Kai wouldn’t care? What if the world were different and nobody cared if she were cyborg […] and on top of that, Lunar?” 

Cinder reflects on saying no to the prince’s request to accompany him to the ball. She knows that if she attends the ball with Prince Kai, others would seek out her personal information, exposing her as cyborg and hurting Kai in the process. Although knowing all of the consequences, she imagines a world in which humans and cyborgs are equal, as opposed to a world where being cyborg is an obstacle.

“She was brainwashing them. She had brainwashed her.” 

Eastern Commonwealth citizens gather outside of the palace to protest Queen Levana’s visit. The queen steps out onto a balcony, looking to the crowd and manipulating the people into a quiet calm. They leave the palace in a daze, no longer protesting the queen. Cinder realizes that the queen altered her thoughts, even though as a Lunar shell, doing so should be impossible. 

“Levana pinched the vial between her thumb and forefinger and held it out to him. ‘This should be enough to cure one adult male,’ she said, then clicked her tongue. ‘Awful timing, isn’t it?’”

Queen Levana offers a letumosis antidote to Kai at her arrival, knowing Kai’s father, the emperor, died only the previous day of letumosis. Kai’s father never agreed to marry Levana, and Queen Levana attempts to manipulate Kai—a new and inexperienced emperor—to bend to her will. She hangs the antidote over him as a bargaining tool: no marriage, no antidote. 

“But she was wrong if she expected him to become her puppet. He would defy her for as long as he could, in any way that he could. He would find Princess Selene. Dr. Erland would duplicate the antidote. He wouldn’t even dance with Levana at the stupid ball if he could help it—to hell with diplomacy.”

Prior to Emperor Rikan’s death, Prince Kai and his android, Nainsi, research information about Princess Selene (who is actually Cinder). Prince Kai hopes to find Princess Selene in order to avoid marrying Levana and save his people. He struggles with being emperor and is aware of all of Queen Levana’s manipulations.

“She was the reason Levana believed Kai was harboring Lunars. She hadn’t considered that being noticed by the queen could put Kai in jeopardy too.” 

Cinder informs Dr. Erland of the queen’s visit, after which he demands that she not return to the palace until the queen departs the Commonwealth. She understands Dr. Erland’s insistence, but goes to the palace to return Nainsi to Prince Kai and deliver all of the important information about Princess Selene that Nainsi knows. Escorting Nainsi back to the palace, Queen Levana spies Cinder and accuses Prince Kai of illegally harboring fugitive Lunars, information unknown to Prince Kai. 

“Imagine there was a cure, but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would you do?” 

In the elevator, Cinder and Kai talk about his concerns related to being emperor. He knows that Queen Levana is trying to play on his naiveté. He feels the pressure and stress of assuming a leadership role for which he feels unprepared and that will result in failure. Following their honest conversation, he leans in as if to kiss Cinder, but makes the above statement instead: a cure for letumosis means marriage to Queen Levana.  

“Kai gasped and jerked away, his hand freezing inches from Cinder’s brow. Fear clamped her gut. Was her retina display showing?”

Cinder experiences excruciating pain as she regains her Lunar magic. Falling due to the pain, Kai catches her and while looking at one another, Kai responds in the manner quoted above. He never explains the reason for his reaction, leaving Cinder to wonder if he knows her cyborg secret. 

“‘No, you don’t understand anything! A week ago, I knew exactly who I was, what I was, and maybe that was a worthless cyborg, but at least I knew that. And now […] now I’m Lunar, I’m a Lunar who supposedly might have magic but can’t use it, and now there’s this insane queen who for some reason wants to kill me.”

Struggling with her new identity, Cinder feels confusion at what it means to be Lunar. Further complicating her confusion is the knowledge that Queen Levana wants her dead. Cinder does not fully understand why this is so. The reason for why the queen wants her dead is not explained to Cinder until the last chapter—that Cinder is actually Princess Selene—but it may be the answer to Emperor Kai’s problems. 

“I understand the prejudices. In many ways, they’re understandable, even justified, given Earth’s history with Luna. But it does not mean we are all greedy, self-serving devils.” 

Dr. Erland finally reveals himself as Lunar. He understands Cinder’s concerns, but assures her that he is trustworthy. Just as people judged Cinder for being cyborg, Cinder appears to judge Dr. Erland for being Lunar. This also explains an occurrence at their first meeting—Cinder’s change of thought about hitting the doctor with a wrench. The orange light of a lie that confused her now makes sense: Erland’s use of Lunar magic sparked the lie alert. 

“She drew back, knowing she should tell him. He thought she was a mere mechanic, and he was, perhaps, willing to cross that social divide. But to be both cyborg and Lunar? To be hated and despised by every culture in the galaxy? He would understand in a moment why he needed to forget her.” 

Prince Kai makes one last attempt to connect with Cinder while she works at the weekly market. It is the day of the ball and he questions her about the ignored comms, sarcastically mentioning that his portscreen must be broken. Although Cinder fantasizes about going to the ball with him, she continues to decline to protect Kai. 

“The draft. All those cyborgs. So many people convinced that it was the right thing. That it was better them than humans. Once a science project, always a science project.”

Dr. Erland tells Cinder that she is Princess Selene; her life was saved after the fire by a surgery that altered her from Lunar to cyborg. The story of her past results in the realization that the cyborg draft began to find her. She again feels the burden of being cyborg—less than human and disposable—and now feels guilt for the cyborgs killed through their participation in the cyborg draft.