Elantris

“She felt more than alone; she felt rejected—again. Unwanted. She had waited all these years, suffered by a patient father who didn’t know how the men of her homeland avoided her, how they were frightened by her forward, even arrogant personality. At last she had found a man who was willing to have her, and Domi had snatched him away at the last moment.”

Sarene’s motivations and her internal conflicts stem from her insecurities about how she is perceived. The novel critiques traditional gender roles, showing how Sarene suffers because she does not live up to expectations of being dainty and submissive. But she also longs for romance and connection, traits which help humanize her.

“Memories of the Duladen revolution were still stark in Hrathen’s mind—the death, blood, and chaos. Such a cataclysm had to be avoided. Hrathen was a stern man, and a determined one, but he was no lover of carnage.”

Hrathen’s sense of duty is the defining aspect of his character. Here, however, we also see his ethical principles and internal motivations. Hrathen’s recovery of his personal faith—and his conclusion that faith cannot be compelled—guides his character development.

“The nation [of Arelon] was an egg balanced on the peak of a mountain, just waiting for the first breeze to plunge it to the hard ground below.”

The prose style of Elantris does not often employ figurative language, but this metaphor illustrates the instability of Arelon’s political system. Hrathen and Sarene are fighting for the soul of Arelon, while Raoden fights to restore the spirit of Elantris. All three characters share similar goals of peace and unity, but approach them in different ways.

“The most surprising thing was how easy it was. In ignorance he had assumed that AonDor, the magic of the Aons, would require some sort of incantation or ritual. A decade without AonDor had spawned hordes of rumors; some people, mostly Derethi priests, claimed the magic had been a hoax, while others, also mostly Derethi priests, had denounced the art as blasphemous rites involving the power of evil. The truth was that no one, especially not the Derethi priests, knew just what AonDor had been. Every one of its practitioners had fallen to the Reod.”

As a practice of magic, AonDor is key to the novel’s themes of religious belief and faith. The mystery of how AonDor works motivates Raoden through much of the novel and is the device, in the end, that allows him to save Sarene, defeat Dilaf’s monks, and prove himself the worthy leader of Arelon and guardian of Elantris.

“I have no wish for power. […] I am worried about life. Not just survival, Galladon, life. These people are dead because they have given up, not because their hearts no longer beat. I am going to change that.”

Raoden’s speech to Galloden exemplifies his optimism, a key aspect of his character, and expresses his wish to restore human dignity and purpose to the citizens of Elantris. His efforts to find ways to alleviate their pain and suffering and create a habitable, even prosperous, community speak to the themes of good governance, the principle of personal autonomy, and the quest for individual fulfillment.

“He also felt a responsibility toward the people—or whatever they were—that lived in Elantris. He was using them, holding them up as an enemy to unite his followers. He felt guilty; the Elantrians he had seen were not devils, but wretches afflicted as if by a terrible disease. They deserved pity, not condemnation. Still, his devils they would become, for he knew that it was the easiest and most harmless way to unify Arelon.”

Hrathen’s sense of responsibility to the people of Elantris is something he shares with Raoden, making the two men effective foils for one another. Hrathen’s decision to exploit the Arelenes, converting them to Shu-Dereth through fabricated means, taps into the novel’s themes about the difference between faith and religious belief. Hrathen’s efforts are oriented toward unity—one of the novel’s thematic concerns—but he is willing to manipulate people to achieve his aims, which will prove to be an unsuccessful approach.

“For eternity man has struggled just to fill his mouth. Food is life’s one desperate pursuit, the first and the last thought of carnal minds. Before a person can dream, he must eat, and before he can love, he must fill his stomach. But we are different. At the price of a little hunger, we can be loosed from the bonds that have held every living thing since time began.”

Raoden animates the citizens of Elantris by encouraging the belief that they can enjoy true freedom. His model is based on the idea that definitive aspects of humanity, like intellect and affection, can only develop once basic needs, such as hunger, are met. Raoden’s belief in the essential goodness of humans makes Sarene recognize him even when he is disguised as Kaloo.

“A man can force himself to hate if he wishes, especially if he convinces himself that it is for a higher good.”

In speaking with his rival, Father Omin, Hrathen exposes the paradox at the heart of his strategy. He is using the mechanism of hate—in direct opposition to Korathi teachings—for the goal of unity. In contrast, Father Omin insists on a prevailing notion of truth that cannot succeed through hate, suggesting religious faith, belief, and truth are not always the same.

“She couldn’t help thinking of Spirit, and how strikingly unbarbaric he had been. He’d put the lords at ease, conversing with them affably, as if he weren’t damned and they the ones who had locked him away. She had found herself almost liking him by the end of the afternoon, though she worried that he was toying with her.”

In a case of dramatic irony, Sarene is drawn to Raoden, her fiancé, though she doesn’t know who he is. Raoden’s moniker “Lord Spirit” is evidence of the charismatic authority he has in New Elantris and of his connection to the city in symbolic and literal ways.

“What of the faith, the almost unthinking passion he had once felt? He could barely remember it. That part of his life had passed quickly, his faith transforming from a burning flame into a comfortable warmth.”

Hrathen questions his faith, showing the distance that can exist between religious practice and real belief, one of the novel’s prevailing themes. Hrathen’s crisis of faith will also test his loyalties, prompting a major development in his character arc.

“Our bodies are trapped in some kind of half transformation. The process began, but something blocked it. […] The Dor is still within us, waiting for the direction and the energy to finish what it started.”

The Shaod is one of the greatest mysteries of the book. Raoden’s phrasing here sees transformation as a process with mystical implications. The existence of the Dor is something beyond the beliefs of Shu-Dereth or Shu-Korath, adding another dimension to the novel’s exploration of religion, magic, and otherworldly powers.

“Sarene’s excursions into Elantris had ultimately been beneficial. She had proven to the people that no matter how much their hunger hurt, simply feeding their bellies wasn’t enough. Joy was more than the absence of discomfort. So when they came back to him, they no longer worked for food. They worked because they feared what they would become if they did not.”

While Sarene’s efforts to distribute food for her Widow’s Trial pose an initial obstacle to Raoden’s efforts to build New Elantris, he realizes that, ironically, she has helped him after all. The Elantrians now understand that their real goal is to retain their humanity by employing their intellect and creativity.

“She was jealous of that look in Shuden’s eyes. She was envious of his opportunity to court, to fall in love, and to be swept up in the stupefying joy of romance.”

Sarene’s envy at her friend Shuden’s happiness when he falls in love amplifies the loneliness that provides her internal conflict. Her wish for connection draws her to Spirit (Raoden) and speaks to the deeper human desires for peace, union, love, and acceptance, of which romantic love is one version.

“Hrathen finally understood what had prodded the Jeskers to regard nature with religious wonder. Where was something beautiful about the pale-faced goddess of the heavens, a mysticism to her eclipse. […] Hrathen could almost feel her magic.”

The logically minded Hrathen’s transcendent experience of awe and wonder, which takes place during his time in Elantris—his own wandering in the desert, so to speak—adds to his experience of faith. His tolerance of other religious beliefs shows he is evolving in his understanding.

“You’re an excellent judge of character, Sarene—except your own. Often our own opinions of ourselves are the most unrealistic. You see yourself as an old maid, child, but you are young, and you are beautiful. Just because you’ve had misfortune in your past doesn’t mean you have to give up on your future.”

Roial reflects Sarene’s good qualities back to her in a way that helps her understand herself better. She has previously been harsh and deprecating to herself, but this turning point allows her to believe that Spirit could be drawn to her, even enjoy her company. This speech addresses one of the novel’s messages about internal character and humanity.

“Once again the dark, hollow cells of the monastery surrounded him. Screams echoed through the black stone hallways, cries of bestial agony mixing with solemn chanting. Chanting that had a strange power to it. The boy Hrathen knelt obediently, waiting, crouched in a cell no larger than a closet, sweat streaming past terrified eyes, knowing that eventually they would come for him.”

Hrathen’s memory of his time in the monastery of Dakhor foreshadows the attack of the warrior monks, who are so strong and relentless that people think they are demons. His rejection of this Derethi path in choosing a different monastery also foreshadows Hrathen’s later choice to prevent more bloodshed by opposing Dilaf’s plans to destroy Arelon.

“It stood like an enormous slick surface, without crack or cavity, at the back of his mind. It pressed demandingly, pounding the pain into every nerve in his body, like a workman driving a spike into the ground. […] It didn’t rage or churn. It was immobile, frozen by its own intense pressure. It wanted to move—to go anywhere, to find any release from the strain.”

This vivid image describes how the Dor feels to Raoden. Perhaps because of his healing experience when young, Raoden has a special connection to the Dor exemplified in his alternate name, Spirit. The implacable nature of the Dor and its powerful energy contrasts with the varieties of religious belief portrayed in the novel.

“Sarene considered herself religious, if [not devout]. Still, her fight for Teod was really a fight for the Korathi religion. She believed in Domi and regarded Him with reverence. She was faithful to the tenets the priests taught her.”

Sarene has little personal ambition; rather, she is driven to preserve a way of life and the freedom to choose one’s religion. In the novel’s value system, these goals are of superior value to efforts to impose an outside faith or deprive people of their freedoms.

“He really did enjoy his time with Sarene. Her wry wit made him smile, her intelligence intrigued him, and her personality encouraged him. After ten years of dealing with women whose only apparent thought was how good they looked in their dress […] Raoden was ready for a woman who wouldn’t cower at the first sign of conflict. A woman such as he remembered his mother being, before she died.”

Raoden’s dislike of traditional gender roles fits with his larger notions of equality, which he has put into practice in New Elantris. Raoden and Sarene’s shared discomfort with prescribed notions of femininity makes them compatible as a couple.

“Power was not in wealth, but in control—money was worthless before a man who refused to be bought.”

Hrathen reflects on personal ambition and understands that he works for a greater principle—faith, which, he will come to realize, is no longer compatible with Wyrn’s ambitions. This adherence to personal truth makes Hrathen like Raoden and Dilaf, who are also driven by their ideas of right.

“The Dor attacked with a roaring surge of power, and this time it hit no wall. It exploded through Raoden like a river. He gasped, basking in its power for just a moment. It burst free like a beast that had been kept trapped in a small space for far too long. It almost seemed…joyful.”

Raoden’s discovery of how to make the Dor work is a climactic moment in the novel; it represents the triumph of what he’s been working for. This is a large step toward completing the transformation of the Shaod and the restoration of Elantris. Unleashing the Dor, which is like unleashing a greater truth, parallels Hrathen’s discovery of personal truth, later.

“There, in the center of the most cursed city in the world, Spirit had constructed a society that exemplified Korathi teachings. The church taught of the blessings of unity; it was ironic that the only people who practiced such ideals were those who had been damned.”

Sarene reflects on her sense of belonging in New Elantris and what Spirit has managed to build. New Elantris offers her acceptance, which she has craved, but also legitimizes her faith in a religion of love and tolerance. This is unity in practice, an idealized form of governance.

“Ten years ago they rejected the Elantrians […] and found that a man could be a monster no matter what he looked like. They’re finally ready to accept a ruler not because he’s a god or because he has money, but because they know he will lead them well.”

Sarene identifies the principle at the core of effective governance: a leader who can make decisions for the greater good. This introduces yet another style of government into the novel—a version of our notion of the benign autocracy—and speaks also to the theme of Transformation and Conversion. The people of Arelon have learned what truly matters.