Self-Acceptance In Children Of Blood And Bone

Sachi Bansal
Gibson
English 9 Honors
April 4th, 2023
Self-Acceptance in Children of Blood and Bone
Self-acceptance is an essential part of every individual’s coming of age experience. Despite the countless stories covering the topic, many fail to properly portray its intricacies. However, Tomi Adeyemi’s novel Children of Blood and Bone serves as an excellent illustration of self-acceptance. The novel follows Zelie Adebola as she, alongside her brother and a runaway princess, seeks to restore magic to the kingdom of Orisha. Throughout their journey, the crown prince, Inan, pursues them before eventually falling in love with Zelie. In Children of Blood and Bone, Adeyemi uses symbolism, subplots, and conflict to depict the struggles encountered

Regardless of the setting in which they are used, definitive labels often strip away at one’s sense of self. On page 421, Inan states “What new letter have they carved into their back? Her heart? Her soul… She [Zelie] stares at her shaking fingers with no recognition of where she is. Who she is.” His statement about the word being carved into Zelie’s soul serves as a reminder of the significant impact a label can have on one’s self-esteem. The labeled individual is societally expected to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, and thus they struggle to develop an individual sense of self. Consequently, with no internal understanding of who one truly is, it becomes impossible for oneself to be accepted. Additionally, the label reduces Zelie to a single one of her many traits. Therefore, it is far more difficult to accept each of the intricacies of her personality. By using the symbol of the scar, Adeyemi effectively illustrates the negative impacts of labeling upon

Throughout the novel, both Inan and Zelie battle their negative internal perceptions of themselves due to their status as maji. Inan often finds himself rejecting his inner magic, before accepting it for a brief period of time and repeating the process. On page 420, Inan states “I can sense they’ve started on the G now; it’s as if the curve is etched into my own back.” While watching Zelie, Inan experiences the pain that his people have endured for decades and is thrust into self-acceptance. Becoming a first hand witness of this pain allows him to understand that there is no purpose to hating himself. Only by accepting his identity as a maji can he use his privilege to improve the lives of his people. As the crown prince, Inan can use his power to erase the discrimination against his people. Throughout the passage, Adeyemi uses Inan and Zelie’s subplots to depict the influence of a loss of innocence upon one’s sense of