54 pages • 1 hour read
T. KingfisherNettle & Bone
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A 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
Nettle
As one of the titular words of the book, nettle is a symbol that assists with explaining the importance of resilience, supporting the theme The Importance of Grit. Marra’s first impossible task of weaving with nettles forces her to endure significant pain. She tells herself that her pain does not even compare to the pain suffered by her sister. The willingness to sacrifice comfort and endure pain defines Marra and her family. They suffer for their people.
Marra’s hands recall the pain of that task throughout the novel when she faces choices that will cause her pain but help others, such as in the goblin market and the godmother’s house. She willingly accepts this pain to achieve her goal. The nettles serve as a reminder of the fleeting nature of pain. Marra overcomes pain, supporting Kingfisher’s argument that heroes must have grit.
Bone
As the other titular word, bone serves as a symbol for resistance, further supporting the theme of The Importance of Grit. Marra begins the novel perched on a pit of bones, constructing Bonedog. She resists despair and the curse of the land around her, determined to do the impossible. Marra’s journey from the convent to Vorling is paved in bones, demonstrating the enduring nature of resistance despite all that tries to destroy it. The power that Marra possesses in her grit is as enduring as bone.
Marra builds Bonedog, selecting each bone with care, especially the skull. She gives up her tooth, another bone, at the goblin market to buy Fenris’s freedom and further her quest. Marra needs both nettle, resilience, and bone, resistance, to defeat the Monster Vorling. Each of the trials she faces on her quest calls on one or both traits.
Blessings and Curses
The godmother’s blessing and curse and Agnes’s blessings and curses symbolize the good versus evil dichotomy that permeates the novel, tying into the theme of The Subversion of Expectations. The nature of the blessings and curses illustrates the gray area between good and evil and the importance of words and actions. The first blessing mentioned in the book is Marra and her sister’s blessing of health. Marra grows up viewing this blessing as a slight, but she eventually realizes it has saved her and her sister from death.
The godmother’s blessing at Virian’s christening, in turn, binds the infant’s life and the royal family’s life to the godmother’s. As Agnes later discovers, though the godmother and the family refer to it as a blessing, it is really a curse. The words harness the family’s life force to feed the godmother’s life, cursing them all. Agnes then curses Finder, telling him to find safety or he will die. Agnes does not want to curse the chick, and the exertion of going against her nature causes her to faint on their arrival. The symbol of an innocent chick bearing such a burden shows the weight of the curse. The final curse, Agnes’s curse of Kania’s child, ends in a blessing. Agnes saves the baby and the royal family from the godmother’s curse and Vorling. Agnes softens the curse by blessing the child with health. This final action allows Agnes to reclaim herself as a decent person through the symbol of a blessing.
Tomb
As a crucial phase of the hero’s journey, the descent into the abyss allows the hero to face the ultimate power. The center point of Marra’s journey is marked by the company’s journey through the tomb. The tomb symbolizes death and a confrontation with the power of the ancient king. Even the powerful godmother yields to the king’s will in the grave. The dust-wife first appeals to the king but refuses to yield his power. The dust-wife defeats the king in battle, symbolizing a shift of power. Fenris takes up the king’s sword and uses it to defeat Vorling.
For Marra, her experience in the catacombs demonstrates The Importance of Grit. She experiences her apotheosis, a great realization, in the catacombs. She takes out the tapestry cutting given by the godmother and realizes it is a map. The knowledge comes only when she faces the king and survives. She had to endure the most profound darkness to find a way to the light.
Stories
Kingfisher uses hero and fairy tales as a motif to develop the theme of The Power of Storytelling in Nettle & Bone. Marra tells herself stories to make sense of the world around her and spur her into action when she doubts. She notices when those around her use stories to justify their actions or make sense of others. Kingfisher argues that stories give people courage to act, compassion for others, and wisdom to change. Marra uses the hero Mordecai’s tales as a goad to action when she feels defeated or despairing. The stories the characters tell about themselves help them to do the impossible. Kania tells herself that she suffers for others; that story gives her the strength to endure Vorling’s abuses. The queen tells herself that she sacrifices for the greater good, enabling her to send her daughters into the hands of a monster. Fenris, Agnes, and the dust-wife tell themselves they can help Marra slay the prince, so they do.
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By T. Kingfisher
