The World We Make

“She’s been playing the long game, stifling progress and weakening cities to make them easier to destroy, and once you know what to look for, the cancer is everywhere.”

Neek compares the influence of the Ur on cities across the globe to cancer, noting that when his father had cancer he found it easier to ignore the problem than to face the harsh reality of treatment and medical debt that acknowledging it would entail. Similarly, many cities seem to be in denial about the threat that the Ur pose, suggesting that they would rather meet oblivion than face the destructive force that threatens them. Only New York City, with its particular blend of creativity and courage, is able to confront the foe.

“As she watches, variables fill themselves into the equation and begin cycling with increasing speed. Counting down, as the train’s wheels scream and the subway car rocks faster and faster.”

Padmini uses math to understand the world around her. This illustrates how each of the boroughs plays into their unique strengths and abilities to care for the city. Jemisin highlights the joys of individuality and difference by including primary characters who approach the world in very different ways but can create harmony as a result.

“Panfilo is a threat because of his ‘us versus them’ framing, which suggests that only certain kinds of people really belong in New York.”

Panfilo is an antagonist and tool in the hands of R’lyeh because he uses Xenophobia as a Political Tool. He idealizes a vision of New York City that excludes the very people who have given it such a rich and unique history. By harnessing the xenophobia of outsiders, he creates a false perception that can displace the position of New York City on the multiversal tree, which makes him dangerous to the city avatars.

“The change we’re talking about wasn’t just demographic,” Bronca says. “It was spiritual. Once, New York City was known for its art. Fashion, fine art, the performing arts, music; we were the center of the world for all of that, creating new genres and even new ways of thinking on the regular.”

Once the artistic center of the United States, New York City has become more focused on commercial industries and development in recent decades. Here Bronca muses on how this change wasn’t merely a matter of moving or replacing people, but of changing the very core of what the city was about. This showcases the new, wily tactics of the Ur, who have adopted subtler methods than the brute force of wars and natural disasters.

“The flags are a grab bag of ugly: Thin Blue Line and several variants thereof, DON’T TREAD ON ME, Confederate crisscrosses, LIBERTY OR DEATH, and Nazi swastikas of course. A handful of American flags, probably tossed in as an afterthought, never mind any inherent conflict with some of the other flags.”

Jemisin’s depiction of Panfilo’s supporters satirizes and mirrors white nationalism in the United States. The description of the hodgepodge of flags, some bearing patriotic symbols and others bearing symbols that are antithetical to democracy, illustrates how these individuals borrow from dangerous ideologies to justify their hatred. While Panfilo stokes xenophobia with a false image of New York City, his supporters use aggression and violence to further his ideology.

“She doesn’t know if this has been some sort of flanking maneuver on the part of the Woman in White, and it doesn’t matter, because no corporation needs help from eldritch abominations to do awful things. Neither does ICE.”

Jemisin’s exploration of Navigating Corrupt Systems of power depicts individuals who are neglected and harmed by the structures that are supposed to serve them. Padmini is threatened by ICE despite being in good standing, and the police are no help to Brooklyn when she is being attacked. Although the avatars are facing a cosmic threat from the Ur, corrupted political systems also antagonize the characters in various ways.

“And if the coffee conversation is nothing but stilted pleasantries, or if there is something fixed and blank about the library ladies’ expressions—something entirely too familiar in their smiles and awkward ‘human languages are hard’ slips of the tongue—well, that’s fine, too.”

Aislyn becomes increasingly aware that R’lyeh is manipulating and controlling those around her. This is an eerie reminder that Aislyn is not living in the Staten Island she knows and loves anymore. This erasure of entire personalities and characteristics shows the Ur’s blatant rejection of what they refer to as “human-style creativity.”

“‘That’s the whole idea, isn’t it? Bring this troublesome city into alignment with more sensible parts of reality, stop all that pesky, viral replication of new universes. The more we unify the city, stop catering to’—she goes blank for a second, then brightens—‘special interests, yes, the faster we’ll travel through the aethers of the multiverse.’”

In this conversation between Panfilo and R’lyeh, they are talking about two different things but using the same language to communicate. Panfilo is complaining about liberal education and how it has become more specialized, while R’lyeh desires to eradicate all human variety and variation. However, his interests align so perfectly with hers that R’lyeh can use Panfilo as a tool without ever needing to control him directly.

“Creativity and social living are the only real constants that every single human species has had, from Australopithecus to us. The only way to get rid of cities is to get rid of that part of our nature!”

When Bronca protests the eradication of cities, she highlights two traits that are central to Jemisin’s depiction of the uniqueness of humanity: creativity and collaboration. Humans can think creatively and solve problems with increasing efficiency, which collaboration and shared imagination facilitate. New York City exemplifies both qualities, which allows the avatars to defeat the Ur.

“We took some of you in as children, raised you ourselves in hopes that you would learn our ways and take them back to your own kind, but not many survived. The few who did were…damaged by the experience. No good to us at all.”

The Ur’s past efforts to influence human behavior are reminiscent of colonialism. For decades, the United States took thousands of Indigenous children away from their families and assimilated them into white culture in boarding schools. Bronca calls out this practice for what it is and makes the point that it is based in a lack of respect and equality.

“There are street finds stacked here, too: coverless return copies probably scrounged from the trash, discards put out for strangers to take, sidewalk-sale and used-store purchases. New York is a city awash in free books.”

The description of Neek’s room lands on a significant focal point: his stacks of free books. This foreshadows the ending of the book, where the avatars defeat the Ur not in a physical battle of strength, but in a mental battle of reasoning. As the primary avatar of New York City, Neek is subtly brilliant and values knowledge and reason.

“The NYPD is either an uncontrolled-but-at-least-not-hostile nuisance for any mayor who pays them off with perks and propaganda, or an occupying army for a mayor who doesn’t.”

Jemisin cuts right to the heart of the corruption of the NYPD, noting that they can be outright hostile or bribed into manageable behavior. A city institution that requires bribery to serve its function and obey authority is an institution that has gone rogue. All of the New York City avatars hesitate to call the police in dangerous situations, knowing that the police’s prejudices and biases could lead to innocent people being harmed.

“It rapidly becomes clear that the equations she uses for local travel—more precise than hitching metaphysical rides on public transportation, though none of the others seem to be able to do it this way—are insufficient when it comes to more distant macrosteps.”

Padmini’s use of mathematics to explore her new city-power allows her to uncover places, like the metaphysical tree and Atlantis, and leads to her uncovering the Ur’s failed attempts to destroy cities. She hones her macrostepping ability through yoga and meditation, demonstrating how her cultural background plays a role in her unique abilities as an avatar. Ultimately, it is Padmini who defeats the Ur and severs their ties to this universe, demonstrating the value she brings to the city.

“The city is moving, and the movement is accelerating with time. The city is falling, toward the tree’s trunk and the unbearable brightness of its roots.”

By influencing outside opinion and manipulating information about New York City, the Ur are causing it to move on the metaversal tree. At the base of the tree is what Padmini refers to as a “kugelplex,” a place of complete annihilation, meaning that the city’s movement threatens all of living creation. Through this movement, Jemisin explores the detrimental real-world impact that preconceptions or false perceptions can have.

“Even without meeting her, Veneza’s familiar with the type—young Beckies in training to become mature Karens. Playground tattletales crying to the teacher when Veneza wouldn’t let them manhandle her kinky mixed-girl hair. A roommate in college who would spray half a can of air freshener every time Veneza came home.”

Veneza recalls various racial microaggressions that she has experienced, which inform her perception of white people. Instead of making her fearful, these microaggressions have made her more open to speaking up for herself, culminating in her considering cutting off her racist father. This openness leads to her reaching out to Aislyn.

“There’s a whole Industrial Revolution’s worth of shit still in this harbor, some so toxic that it nearly killed off the estuary ecosystem. It did kill off the oysters, decades ago, but people started reintroducing them a few years back to help suck up all the gross crap.”

Using oysters to defeat R’lyeh’s dangerous sea-tentacle is one example of how the avatars use the distinct qualities of their boroughs in combat. The reintroduction of oysters makes the city more itself, showing that history and natural resources are essential parts of a city’s nature. When these qualities are reinforced over time, as is demonstrated with Istanbul and his cats, they accumulate more significance and power.

“They bribed the cops and public officials, made deals with Italian and Chinese families so there’d be no fighting…and that worked. Over the years we’ve learned to handle anybody who crosses us, ourselves, since that’s the only justice we can trust.”

Manny acknowledges that his family has found a way of working outside of the corrupted systems that failed them. After being violently oppressed and powerless due to housing restrictions and voting laws, they created their own structures to protect themselves. This contrasts with Brooklyn, whose ancestors suffered similar oppression, but who has chosen to work within the systems to try to enact positive change.

“She’s just lost too many friends to places like this to view it with a neutral gaze—children sent back to abusive parents, addicts jailed when they needed treatment, innocent people imprisoned for years by lying prosecutors or cops.”

When Brooklyn goes to court to fight for her brownstones, she muses on the individuals she has known who were failed by the system. This further develops Jemisin’s theme of systemic corruption. Although Brooklyn ultimately wins the case, her opponent, Better New York, positions itself as serving the greater good.

“Brooklyn knows full well Bronca turned that down, but the offer still makes Better New York look good, as do the other ‘benefits’ they’ve offered the city: demolition of out-of-code older buildings (displacing hundreds of poor families), replacing ‘drug-infested’ playgrounds with shiny community centers (taking away a safe free outdoor space for kids and requiring a membership fee that many locals cannot afford), and replacing dirty old bodegas with upscale grocery stores (destroying community support systems and inflating food costs).”

The case Better New York makes for itself involves the supposed greater good. However, Brooklyn reads between the lines and sees that the projects they’re proposing would further ostracize and alienate the people who live in the area. This is an example of both misperception, since what can first appear good might have underlying negative impacts, and systemic corruption.

“What’s troubling is that she doesn’t even think the Woman meant to be deceptive about the guidelines. Strictly speaking, the term is entirely correct. Leashes guide, don’t they? The fact that they also control is incidental.”

Even Aislyn, who is R’lyeh’s only friend, is aware that the tendrils R’lyeh uses to influence the world are a tool of power and control. R’lyeh’s tendrils appear throughout the narrative, infecting wildlife and latching onto unsuspecting individuals. However, R’lyeh’s friendship with Aislyn leads to her removing the tendril from Aislyn’s body, allowing Aislyn to make her own independent choices. This later lets Aislyn betray R’lyeh and join the other avatars.

“So what exactly are these pylons taking out of her island? She doesn’t know, but she has her suspicions, based on what she’s seen missing from her fellow islanders. Vitality. Individuality. Reality, even. Things quintessential to making Staten Island the weird and wonderful place Aislyn’s loved all her life.”

R’lyeh is making Staten Island homogenous, changing everything from the island’s scent to the types of food that it serves. These idiosyncrasies are what Aislyn loves about her home, so she begins to doubt R’lyeh’s mission. Jemisin embraces every small detail of New York City, even the vermin, as essential to its power.

“All the energies of the city smooth out at the merest touch of his attention, including things that it would never have occurred to her to mess with, like the tides at Far Rockaway or wind speed atop the Empire State Building. He’s not even actively doing it all, as far as she can tell; the city changes—improves—simply because he’s observing it.”

As an artist, Neek shapes and aids the city through attention to detail. His observation is a gift that keeps the city running smoothly, and it allows him to make tiny changes that have great impact. Jemisin’s portrayal of the primary avatar as an artist allows her to showcase the city as a beautiful creation made of disparate parts working together in harmony.

“Younger cities have faced dangers at birth that none of the rest of you had to—systemic attacks, sociopolitical poisonings, ideological assassinations.”

Paulo appeals to the elder cities by reminding them that the Ur have become more clever in their methods of attack. While older cities had to deal with wars and disasters, younger cities live under the threat of corrupt politicians, infectious ideologies, and negative perceptions. The novel suggests that these ideological threats are more destructive than physical ones.