57 pages • 1 hour read
Katherine ApplegateThe Last: Endling #1
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018A 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 Light of Nedarra
The Light of Nedarra is Khara’s sword. The sword is part of the Arms of Kainor, the weaponry owned by Nedarra’s greatest hero, Kainor the Magnificent. Khara came to own the sword because her great-grandfather was the Baron of Riverhome, Keeper of the Arms of Kainor the Magnificent. Unfortunately, Khara’s great-grandfather was arrested and killed after the Corpli family turned on the Donatis and the Rantizzos during the war to overthrow the first Murdano years before. Somehow, the Arms of Kainor survived, and Khara’s father gave the Light of Nedarra to her, but he also sheathed it in theurgy spells to hide its true identity.
The Light of Nedarra is symbolic of the betrayal that the Donati family suffered as well as Khara’s desire to get revenge against those who betrayed her family and humiliated them by handing their ancestral home over to the Murdano’s seer and his descendants. Hidden beneath layers of magic to appear as a bent and ineffectual weapon, its appearance mirrors Khara’s own unassuming appearance, for although she seems to be just a plain guide and often disguises herself as a boy, she possesses great strength of character, many valuable skills, and a noble lineage. Khara also wields the sword well, using skills that her father taught to her. After being betrayed by the Corpli family and cast down in disgrace, Khara’s family lives in hiding, often using false last names to hide their true identity. The Light of Nedarra is a family legacy that is part of a proud history that Khara cannot embrace in any other way. For this reason, the Light of Nedarra is also a symbol of that legacy and her pride in her family history despite the fact she must hide it from those around her.
Crumpled Map
After Byx’s pack is murdered by Murdano soldiers, Tobble stops by the mirabear hive where they were living to gather a few mementos for Byx. Among them is a crumpled leaf with a crude map drawn on it. Byx recalls that this map is drawn from a poem regarding the First Colony of dairnes. The poem talks about a sentient island upon which the village of Dairneholme was built. In the beginning of the novel, this crumpled map is symbolic of the pack and home that Byx leaves behind when she wanders from the mirabear hive hours before the Murdano soldiers attack and kill her family. Later, however, the map takes on a much greater value to Byx and her new companions as they make the choice to put the myth to the test and attempt to find Dairneholme.
The crumpled map therefore becomes a symbol of hope not only for Byx but also for her companions. When Gambler tells Byx that he believes the felivets are being systematically exterminated as well, the map symbolizes hope for Khara, Tobble, and Gambler to find proof that the Murdano and his people are attempting to get rid of all the governing species except the humans. Not only this, but they also hope that by finding Dairneholme, they can prove that Byx is no longer the endling of her species and reverse some of the damage that the Murdano has done. Finally, the hope that the dairnes can create some kind of equality in the brewing war between Nedarra and Dreyland is also based on the map that might lead to Dairneholme.
Xial Renarriss—In Truth Lies Strength
Among the objects that Tobble saves as mementos for Byx is a small rock with an inscription. The inscription reads “Xial Renarriss.” This phrase means “in truth lies strength” in dairnish and stands as the motto of the dairnes. Byx never fully appreciates this motto until her family is gone and she finds herself moving among humans. Because dairnes do not lie, her skill of being able to tell the difference between a lie and a truth was unnecessary when she only lived with her family. However, once she is traveling with Khara and Tobble, she begins to use this gift in new and sometimes difficult situations.
The motto underlines the political importance of dairnes in the novel, but for Byx, it becomes symbolic of the beauty and honesty of the dairnes’ culture. This motto keeps Byx connected to her pack and the true nature of her species. Upon learning of the eumony for the dairnes, Byx is disheartened to learn that she is considered to be the last of her kind. However, keeping this motto close helps her to make sense of the many things her parents taught her about the world outside their small pack, and it helps her remember what her purpose in the world is.
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By Katherine Applegate
