How Does Cashore Use Power In Graceling

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, is a story about Katsa, a young female graced with the skill of killing, and how she struggles to find freedom from power. Cashore demonstrates the message power has limits multiple times throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Katsa is constantly ordered to perform gruesome executions for her uncle, King Randa. For example, “In one motion she snapped his neck. There was no blood…… ‘What’s the point of a public execution,’ he said, ‘if the public misses the part where the fellow dies?’...” (pg. 29) This fragment from the novel shows that Randa uses his status as a king to command Katsa, but the actions that Katsa takes are her own decisions and here is shows that Katsa does not obey the command of her master. In addition, the following passage, “‘I’m leaving the court,’ she said. ‘Don’t try to stop me.

Forget about me once I’m gone, for I won’t consent to live like a tracked animal. I am no longer yours to command,’” suggests that Katsa left King Randa against his will. King Randa did not call her back, even though he had the power to, because he knew that his power is nothing compared to Katsa’s grace. Nearing the end of the story, readers learn that King Leck, the one-eyed King of Monsea, is graced with telling convincing lies. “Asldfjalkdfj” but, as shown, Leck’s ability to manipulate Katsa’s mind, but the moment he mentions Po’s secret, his power was no longer effective because of Katsa remembers that Po has a untellable secret and her love for Po cleared the fog in her head and brought her back to reality, which allowed her to break free from Leck’s power. In conclusion, Graceling expresses an important theme. It shows that power doesn’t mean everything. Katsa is controlled many times throughout the novel in various different ways, but in every situation, she found a way to break free because, power has its limits, it can’t control