Children of Blood and Bone Reflection 2

     Power in Honor and Truth

    During the second third of Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone, I was particularly drawn to the functions of the Maji magic, their affects, and how the type of magic an individual Maji holds is related to their core character. So far, readers have been introduced to the idea of Maji reapers, healers, burners, and connectors. The two characters that I wish to highlight now are Zelie, a Reaper Maji, and Inan, a Connector Maji. As we learn more about the values and perspectives of these characters, the specific magic abilities become even more telling of the type of person that they are, allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of the characters behavior and purpose in the story. 

    As mentioned, Zelie is a Reaper Maji like her mother, but the reasons for the intensity and overall role of her magic are rooted far deeper than her genetics. Zelie's whole life following the murder of her mother has been lived in her honor, to achieve vengeance for her and other Maji alike. The haunting memory of her mother's spirit has been rooted in Zelie, partially aiding her fierce ability to carry out these harsh feats against the throne and its guards. Zelie is meant to free the lost souls, both in magical ways of conjuring their animations and through her own physical pursuits of restoring the magic across their land. She is a savior. She could not save her mother from her slaughter, but now she can save all of Orisha with her type of magic. For instance, she has conjured up armies of diviner souls to face their enemies, once in the Ibeji arena and again against the Warri community (Adeyemi 217, 329). Her particular reaper magic allows Zelie to create a strong enough physical force to attack and succeed over the monarchy's power. Finally, she feels as though she has the ability to do something right for her people, her family, and her lost loved one. Zelie had spent her whole life training with Mama Agba in hopes of one day being able to properly resist against the monarchy and their power in honor of her mother, now that essence of her soul and deepest desires has translated into her magic abilities.

    In respect to Inan as a Connector, one is left to look at his relationships to his father to explain the importance of his particular magic capabilities. Inan, in order for him to make progress as an individual, needed to be exposed to the truth of people's intentions, memories, and actions. That is why I believe he was chosen by the Gods to become a Connector. He has always had the potential for greatness in his strength and in-born power, but he is far too malleable and obedient in his nature, which combine to make a dangerous force when placed in the hands of an evil individual. His relationship to his father, King Saran, helps to highlight this assertion. All his life, Inan had been trained to put "Duty before self" and that magic was the absolute enemy of Orisha because all he could rely on were the words and demands of his father. He was shielded from the true atrocities that struck diviner villages and the various ways in which the monarchies power oppressed them. Only when he was faced with fragments of diviner's memory could he overcome the blindness to the destruction that his father forced upon him. For example, right when Inan had a clear shot at killing Zelie, his magic took over and all of her pain and turmoil was brought to the surface (Adeyemi 283). Seeing the truth about his family and the Raid through Zelie's soul and memories shifted Inan's perspective to lean more in favor of the diviner's liberation. Inan had always been sheltered to the truth of the Monarchy-diviner dynamic, but now that he has the ability to dive within the minds of anyone to see truth in their memory, his natural strength and power can be put to use for a greater cause. 

    Zelie is the savior; Inan is the enactor. Their magic abilities have provided both of them with the means to achieve a shift in the fate of Orisha, both motivated by their own respective goals of vengeance and justice.

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