Chain of Gold

“LEX MALLA, LEX NULLA. A bad law is no law.”

The gates of most family homes in the Shadowhunter world bear an inscription, often in Latin, revealing something about their originator. The Blackthorn Manor’s motto was given by Benedict Lightwood and shows his penchant for playing with the Accords, the laws that govern the Shadowhunters’ dealings with demons, Downworlders, and mundanes. Benedict was known for genetically engineering demons (creating the likes of the Cerberus kept in Chiswick Manor) and for dabbling in dark magic.

“Drink, and you will sleep; sleep, and you will not sin; do not sin, and you will be saved; therefore, drink and be saved.”

Matthew’s pithy witticism at the ball at the Institute is notable for two reasons: First, Clare’s writing expertly captures the historical ethos of the Edwardian era, when being hedonistic and clever was very much in vogue. Second, behind Matthew’s humor lies deep pain. The lines foreshadow Matthew’s developing alcoholism as he often uses drink as an escape from sin and, therefore, from action and reality.

“‘Stop looking at yourself,’ said Alastair, in a weary tone. ‘Why are women always looking at themselves? And why are you frowning?’ […] Because Mother dresses me, but she lets you wear whatever you like, [Cordelia] thought, but didn’t say it, since their mother was standing right there […] For tonight she’d chosen a dress for Cordelia of pale lilac edged with glittering bugle beads. Her hair was swept up into a waterfall of curls, and her swan-bill corset was making her breathless […] ‘Because I have to wear a corset, Alastair,” she snapped. “I was checking to see if I’d turned plum-colored.’”

The siblings’ conversation at the ball reveals the double standard of the time. For Alastair, it is easy to state such generalizations as “women are always looking at themselves,” without questioning why women are forced to put so much thought into their appearance. Though the book is set in 1903, their conversation is relevant over a century later. Cordelia’s thought shows her insight and maturity, as she sees through cultural mores.

“‘People are only invincible in books,’ said Cordelia. ‘I think you will find most of the time, not even then,’ said Tessa. ‘But at least we can always pick up a book and read it anew. Stories offer a thousand fresh starts.’”

“‘People are only invincible in books,’ said Cordelia. ‘I think you will find most of the time, not even then,’ said Tessa. ‘But at least we can always pick up a book and read it anew. Stories offer a thousand fresh starts.’”

“‘Please recall that I am the pale neurasthenic one and you are the stern heroic one,’ Matthew said to James. ‘It is very tedious when you mix up our roles.’ ‘So what is my role?’ said Christopher. ‘Mad inventor, of course,’ said Matthew promptly. ‘And Thomas is the one with a good heart.’ ‘Lord, I sound dull,’ said Thomas.”

Mathew’s witty summation of the Merry Thieves as types satirizes the way people tend to label others. Of course, each of the characters is much more than Matthew’s summary, which is the point of his classification. This reflects the book’s theme about every person being complex and more than they appear.

“Men like the idea of a woman they can rescue.”

Christopher’s statement is uncharacteristically astute, even though he thinks he may have picked it up from his mother. The idea that men like to be saviors to women is the result of cultural conditioning, but it may very well be prevalent, especially in Christopher’s time. Because he makes the statement in the context of Grace Blackthorn, Christopher points out that women are forced to act helpless to please men. Of course, as James and Matthew’s attraction for the fierce and heroic Cordelia shows, this statement is not universally applicable.

“‘There are all sorts of Persians, and we all look different,’ she said. ‘You wouldn’t expect everyone in England to look alike, would you? Why should it be different for us?’”

Cordelia points out to Anna something that dominant cultures often overlook: There are as many ways of being Persian as there are of being French or British or American. It is easy for people to mock minorities for trying to look like the majority, desiring paler skin or straighter hair, but the majority seldom ask why minorities may be forced to do so. In this case, Alastair’s blond hair is a way to deflect prejudice.

“‘They need a muse,’ said Anna. ‘Someone to be inspired by. Someone to know their secrets. Would you like to be a muse?’ […] ‘No,’ said Cordelia. ‘I would like to be a hero.’”

Cordelia’s reply to Anna during her first visit to Anna’s apartment reveals her heroic ambitions as well as her proto-feminist leanings. The “they” to whom Anna refers are the Merry Thieves gang in particular and boys in general. However, Cordelia does not desire to be a passive muse to inspire Matthew or James; she wants to be a warrior fighting beside them. Thus, she subverts traditional gender roles.

“Do not confuse conditioning with a native inability.”

Matthew’s sharp observation shows that “inabilities” are often the result of social conditioning. For instance, society can condition people to believe that they can never excel at math or play music, just like Shadowhunters believe they are not creative in the way regular people are. Matthew is a keen observer of human nature, despite seeming indifferent.

“Lucie had long ago decided that living in a story would be terribly uncomfortable. Far better to write them, and control the tale so it was never too sad or too scary, only just enough to be intriguing.”

Lucie wants her romance, The Beautiful Cordelia, to be free of graphic violence and tragedy. The child of Shadowhunters, she has seen enough grief in real life and prefers fiction to be an escape. Lucie’s attitude shows that she has yet to grow up and understand that good fiction, even when fantastical, tells the emotional truth about human nature.

“I prefer Nephilim to feel outnumbered among Downworlders, as it is so often the other way around.”

High Warlock Malcolm Fade makes this remark when he notes that more than the usual number of Shadowhunters—three, consisting of Anna, Matthew, and Cordelia—have turned up at the Hell Ruelle salon. Although Fade may seem like a strict gatekeeper to Downworlder society, his statement shows that Shadowhunters usually dominate Downworlders, forcing them to guard their few spaces closely. His remark is a trenchant comment on the flaws of Shadowhunter society and makes the Shadowhunters question their own privilege and presumptions.

“A blond vampire in a garnet-red frock. She was lovely, and pale as new snow: Cordelia thought of the mundane women who paid to have their faces enameled white to preserve their youth and keep their fashionable pallor. They ought to just become vampires, she thought. It would be less expensive.”

Cordelia’s humorous observation at the Hell Ruelle salon is a sarcastic riff on the Edwardian beauty standards for women, requiring them to look unnaturally pale. This is author Clare’s subtle takedown of colorism prevalent in contemporary society, where Eurocentric standards of beauty may still dominate.

“Alastair’s expression changed. ‘We’ve spoken of this enough. Good night, Cordelia.’ Not Layla anymore. Cordelia. His expression was stern as he turned to hasten downstairs.”

Nicknames are common in Chain of Gold, with James calling Matthew “Math,” and so on. However, only Cordelia has two nicknames: Layla, as her family and occasionally James calls her, and Daisy, the Herondale children’s name for her. Both Alastair and James refer to Cordelia by her nicknames in tender moments but switch to “Cordelia” when they are displeased with her or distant. The changing nicknames are a subtle allusion to the fact that the men in Cordelia’s life, even James, try to define her.

“I wonder sometimes if it is easier to be brave when one is young, before one knows truly how much there is to lose.”

After Barbara Lightwood’s tragic death, Tessa ruminates upon the tendency of the young to be brave and reckless. According to Tessa, the young rush into adventure because they still have no idea how much they risk in battle. She also alludes to the fact that after one becomes a parent, risking their life means endangering their children as well. Tessa’s statement cleverly responds to the common criticism that fantasy novels often feature protagonists that are too young.

“There were nine of them in total. There was Sammael, the first to loose demons upon the Earth. Azazel, the forger of weapons who fell from grace when he gifted humans with the instruments of violence. Belial, who ‘did not walk among men,’ was described as the prince of necromancers and warlocks, and thief of realms. Mammon, the prince of greed and wealth, could be bribed with money and riches. Astaroth, who tempted men to bear false witness, and who took advantage of the grieving. Asmodeus, the demon of lust and rumored general of Hell’s army. Belphegor, the prince of sloth and, strangely, tricksters and snake-oil salesmen. Leviathan, the demon of envy, chaos, and the sea, who was monstrous and rarely summoned. And lastly, of course, there was Lucifer, the leader of the archangels, the most beautiful of any prince, the leader of the rebellion against heaven.”

During the Chelsea Embankment attack, one of the Cerberus demons tells James that his grandfather is “hell’s most cunning prince” (262). James realizes that his grandfather is a Prince of Hell, a fallen angel who rebelled against Heaven. Once beautiful archangels, the Princes of Hell are considered the dark mirror images of good angel Raziel and are extremely powerful. James’s library research reveals that Princes of Hell do not usually intervene in the human world, humans being like ants to them. Therefore, the involvement of a fallen angel in the current demon attacks is rare and worth investigating.

“If you saw humanity as I see it. There is very little brightness and warmth in the world for me. There are only four flames, in the whole world, that burn fiercely enough for me to feel something like the person I was. Your mother, your father, Lucie, and you. You love, and tremble, and burn. Do not let those who cannot see the truth tell you who you are. You are the flame that cannot be put out. You are the star that cannot be lost. You are who you have always been, and that is enough.”

Uncle Jem’s delicate thoughts conveyed to James sum up the text’s theme that one’s free will, rather than others’ insinuations, determine who they are. Since the book’s audience includes younger readers, these words are especially powerful. James, the young hero, represents the younger adult grappling with the issue of who they are; Uncle Jem’s words show that faith in oneself is an effective moral compass. These lines establish James’s innate goodness, which has nothing to do with his ancestry or what others think of him.

“‘Oh, Matthew.’ Her voice was cold as she turned away from him. ‘You have no idea what terrible people are like.’”

Grace is mostly a flat character in Chain of Gold, shrouded in mystery. However, even after she has broken her relationship to James and seduced Matthew, her remarks here suggest that her actions can be traced to her traumatic past. She believes Matthew is sheltered, having grown up in a loving family. Grace, on the other hand, has grown up under Tatiana’s cruel control, which has exposed her to realities far worse than he can guess.

‘“Hmm, let me see. Katherine, Alicia, Virginia—a very promising writer, you should look out for her work, James—Marine, Virna, Eugenia—’‘Not my sister Eugenia?’ Thomas nearly upended his cake.”

Anna keeps a book of her sexual conquests, a tradition normally attributed to male rakes in the popular imagination. The fact that she is a woman does subvert the tradition, but it also reveals Anna’s slightly cruel side. One of the names on her list is the “promising writer” Virginia, which alludes to the real-world writer Virginia Woolf, considered one of the pioneers of Modernist writing. Woolf was a bohemian and had romantic relationships with both men and women. Anna’s reference to Woolf is Clare’s clever way to ground the Shadowhunters world in history. It is also Clare’s tribute to the real-life people of Edwardian England who dared to live beyond gender-normative expectations.

“He met her gaze directly, and she saw that there was no doubt in his expression. He was looking at her with exactly the same faith he showed when he looked at Matthew, or Lucie, or at Thomas. With a total belief that she could do anything, if it was required of her to do it.”

James’s faith in Cordelia before her performance at Hell Ruelle is a climactic moment in their relationship. Cordelia feels seen by James, which enhances her self-confidence. It is no coincidence that the following performance is a breakthrough moment for Cordelia. The idea that James gives Cordelia strength points to the healthy nature of their bond, unlike other toxic relationships in the book, such as between James and Grace, or Alastair and Charles.

“‘The green carnation symbolizes a love of art and artifice, since a green carnation has to be created rather than appearing in nature.’ Matthew hesitated. ‘It also celebrates loving anyone you choose, whether that is a man or a woman.’”

Matthew’s rare and candid remarks to Cordelia reveal what she has long suspected: he is deeper and far more complex than he lets on. Sensing Cordelia’s innate intelligence and empathy, Matthew tells her he is attracted to both men and women. This conversation, on the way back from the riverside after the Mandikhor attack on Tower Bridge, also reveals that Matthew and Cordelia are forming a close friendship of their own.

“‘Because I never wanted you to know!’ Alastair burst out. ‘Because I wanted you to have a childhood, a thing I never had. I wanted you to be able to love and respect your father as I never could. Every time he made a mess, who do you think had to clean it up? Who told you Father was ill or sleeping when he was drunk? Who went out and fetched him when he passed out in a gin palace and smuggled him in through the back door? Who learned at ten years old to refill the brandy bottles with water each morning so no one would notice the levels had sunk—?’ He broke off, breathing hard.”

Alastair finally reveals the truth about their father to Cordelia, making her question her assumptions about their family. Alastair’s revelations humanize him for both Cordelia and the reader, showing them that his tough exterior is the result of a deep trauma. These lines also capture the harsh truth about dealing with alcoholism in the family. The addiction’s effect on individuals and families is one of the text’s minor themes, as shown in the characters of Matthew Fairchild and Elias Carstairs.

“James shook his head. ‘The demon attacks, the sickness—you caused all of it because you need me to be willing.’ The last piece of the puzzle fell into place. James’s whole body throbbed with pain. ‘This is why you wanted Belphegor to be blamed for what you’ve been trying to do. For all of this. You’ve been trying to get around the law that says you cannot rise. You were never trying to fool us, the Shadowhunters, about who my grandfather was. You were trying to fool the others like you.’ ‘Angels above and demons of the Pit,’ said Belial, examining his black nails. ‘Indeed. I don’t deny that.’ ‘You need me to volunteer myself for possession. To allow you to become me.’”

In Belial’s realm, James realizes that his consent is central to Belial’s plan of possessing him. James’s consent would allow Belial to bypass the laws of angels and Hell’s Princes that forbid him from frequenting earth. The centrality of James’s choice to the entire enterprise reveals the narrative importance of free will and consent.

“‘Nobody will believe it,’ she said, dropping each word into the silence between them like stones into a pond. She saw him flinch. ‘When it comes to a woman’s reputation, if she is suspected, she is guilty. That is the way the world works. I knew they would believe I was guilty, and now, no matter what we say, they’ll never believe I was innocent. It’s done, James.’”

Cordelia’s remarks are an indictment of the suffocating gender norms of her time. James asks her to take back her false testimony to save her reputation, but according to Cordelia, the damage is irreversible: For a woman, suspicion alone confirms her guilt. While modern readers may think such notions are passe, the truth is that women—and other gender minorities—are still considered lesser witnesses compared to cis men.