Theme Analysis Of Renée Ahdieh's Flame In The Mist

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Theme Analysis of Renée Ahdieh’s Flame in the Mist
“She’d fought off her assailant. And in doing so, she’d displayed one of the seven virtues of bushidō: Courage.” (Ahdieh 38) The fantasy novel Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh dives deep into a world of mystery, war, love, deception, and especially courage. As the novel unfolds, one will notice that the author addresses an important current world issue- feminism. Mariko is the oppressed daughter of a renowned samurai. Her whole life, she has known that she is different from the other girls- that she is meant for something greater than blushing and wearing pretty dresses. When Mariko’s carriage is attacked on the way to her own wedding, she gets the chance to escape her chains and forge her own …show more content…

In an effort to find out who tried to murder her, Mariko infiltrates the Black Clan- dressed as a man. Throughout the story, Mariko must discover that she is more than what she has been told. Set back in a time more than three-hundred years in the past, the reader goes on a journey of self-revelation with the main character, while the plot leaves them asking one question: Even in our modern world today, how much of a part does gender roles play in our society? Ahdieh resonates with her readers of Flame in the Mist when she reveals that one must have the courage to break gender roles that are created by society. The main character’s courage to break the gender roles of her time first reveals itself when she kills a vagrant attacker. After her kill, Mariko recalls how she has used one of the seven principles of bushidō: “She’d fought off her assailant. And in doing so, she’d displayed one of the seven virtues of bushidō: Courage. The way of the warrior” (Ahdieh 38). The kill itself is a large step