Six Crimson Cranes

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-8

Chapters 9-17

Chapters 18-26

Chapters 27-32

Chapters 33-40

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Courage and Sacrifice

In a typical fairy tale, the hero usually has to summon courage to overcome the challenges in their way. The trials of Six Crimson Cranes are extreme—from harvesting the dangerous starstroke to battling wolves and demons, all of the main characters must conquer their fears and cultivate both physical and emotional resilience to achieve their goals.

Shiori, who has long been carefree and at times irresponsible, is thrust into a situation that demands her to suddenly take everything seriously. Though she is immediately overwhelmed when she realizes her dire circumstances on the northern island, she does not wallow for long; instead, she quickly begins problem-solving. Throughout the novel, Shiori reminds herself that “fear is just a game,” and “you win by playing” (66); she understands that if she wants anything to change, she has to be an active participant in her life, which requires courage to face challenges head-on. Furthermore, she gains insight on her royal title, learning to be humbler after experiencing the daily sacrifices of non-royals.

Shiori and her six brothers endure physical and emotional pain on a daily basis as a result of Raikama’s curse. Shiori faces verbal and physical aggression as the servant Lina, and her brothers endure two excruciating transformations per day. But even in moments of self-doubt, the siblings withstand their suffering, and are willing to sacrifice their own lives if it means saving their family and country. Takkan is similarly motivated by a noble cause—the safety of the royal children, specifically Shiori. Despite the ridicule and shame he endures after his and Shiori’s failed betrothal ceremony, he lives up to the Bushian creed of courage by relentlessly searching for Shiori and defending her against others’ judgments.

Raikama is also willing to sacrifice everything out of love for her family, though she only reveals her true intentions at the end of the novel. Raikama’s sacrifice spans more than a decade: From the very start of her time with the imperial family, she was willing to put Shiori’s happiness above her own, even if it cost her a genuine relationship with her. Ironically, the cold disposition that Shiori grew to resent was veiled selflessness. Raikama’s final courageous act, helping Shiori seal the Holy Mountains, costs her life. The main characters demonstrate the courage required to set things right, even in the face of danger, and their sacrifices reveal the lengths that they are willing to go to protect others.

Coming of Age as a Royal Child

Like most young adult novels, Six Crimson Cranes explores coming of age through its younger characters’ journeys. Through Shiori, her brothers, and Takkan, Elizabeth Lim explores the transition to young adulthood for nobility and its inherent privileges.

Shiori grows up sheltered from the world outside of her palace walls, convinced the only other place she will ever visit is Iro because of her arranged marriage to Takkan Bushian. Her indignance about the betrothal and general dismissal of her responsibilities indicate how immature she is, despite frequent reminders that she needs to “[behave] like a lady” (15). Her royal status sees that all of her needs are always met, and unaware of how much privilege she has, she even complains about the amount of silk she wears. When Raikama’s curse thrusts her into anonymity, Shiori no longer has her identity as a princess to rely on and has to meet all the basic needs that she’s “never had to worry about before” (86). As Shiori explores unfamiliar terrain both physically and mentally (as both Lina and a guest at Castle Bushian), she learns to become self-reliant and is willing to suffer discomfort to save others (such as serving as a cook and picking painful starstroke nettles). She transforms from a self-centered, stereotypical princess to a mature young woman who understands her role in the larger world, bearing the responsibility to do what it takes to set things right.

Shiori’s six brothers are more psychologically and socially mature than Shiori—in part because they are older, but also because they take their roles as princes more seriously than she does. This creates tension in their relationship, because Shiori resents her brothers for growing up, for supposedly leaving her behind. Despite the pain that Raikama’s curse inflicts upon the siblings, the curse also allows their relationship to deepen: The week they spend in a cave after reuniting, the “brothers and [Shiori] grew close again, as close as [they’d] been when [they] were children” (166). United by the common cause of defeating Raikama and later saving their country from a malicious trio, the siblings learn to protect each other and work together to defeat their foes (especially with their respective vulnerabilities as a masked stranger and cranes). The brothers are key witnesses to Shiori growing up from “the princess of liars” (110) to her namesake, “the knot that holds [them] together” (164), a royal who is willing to make sacrifices.

The Quest for Truth and Self-Acceptance

In a novel full of secrets and hidden identities, Shiori and her allies spend the entirety of the plot searching for the truth about each other and themselves. Shiori is expected to be a stereotypical princess, obedient and soft-spoken—an image she has always resented and pushed back against. The only way she can overcome Raikama’s curse and its inherent challenges is for her to lean into her “unladylike” qualities—physical strength, determination, and disregard for others’ opinions—while also learning humility. Shiori’s alternate identity as Lina both prevents her from returning home and allows her to act freely. Without the label of Kiata’s “only princess” dictating her behavior, she learns what it takes to protect an empire. She gets a taste of how non-royals live and endures both the physical pain of labor and the mental strain of possibly losing her brothers. Still, it is in being her truest self that Shiori breaks Raikama’s curse, earning the respect of those around her and gaining self-confidence.

A step in Shiori’s coming of age is reconciling the inner conflict she has about her magic. Taught to fear magic, she initially wants to ignore her powers, convinced she will be exiled if anyone were to find out her secret. However, with Seryu’s encouragement, she starts to accept and integrate this part of herself. By the time Shiori learns the truth about being Kiata’s bloodsake (someone with the power to unleash the demons trapped in the Holy Mountains) and how dangerous her magic could be, she has gained enough support from those around her to accept her identity rather than run from it.

On the other hand, Raikama spent her young life being called a “monster” (due to her serpentine appearance) and envying her sister Vanna. The deceased Vanna’s dragon pearl “fulfilled [Raikama’s] dearest wish—in the cruelest way,” by transforming her appearance into Vanna’s (441). Raikama has been burdened by this façade, unable to be her true self around her family. Like Shiori, she knows her sorcery is capable of causing harm and reminds young Shiori that “a viper is poisonous, whether it wants to be or not” (336). Despite Raikama’s “poison,” her new life with the emperor’s family allows her a chance to be selfless, a second chance to protect her loved ones. Though she is Shiori’s stepmother, Shiori realizes that Raikama “was the only mother [she] had known” (443)—her memories having been enchanted by Raikama for her and her siblings’ sake. Being forced to act as someone else allows both Shiori and Raikama to reflect on their identities, and how to best live in alignment with them. Through this mother-daughter relationship, Lim demonstrates the difficulty of accepting oneself and how painful the truth can be, but also shows that truth and acceptance are necessary components of growing and healing.