63 pages • 2 hours read
Cassandra ClareCity of Ashes
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Struggle for Identity
In a bleak, tense sequence in the third act of the novel, Simon tries to assure Maia that despite being Downworlders, they both have their humanity intact. “You’re still human,” he tells her, “in the ways that count […] just like me” (307). Though he puts conviction into his words, he observes that Maia does not quite believe him. He doesn’t blame her for her skepticism, since “he wasn’t sure he believed himself” (307). Simon’s ambivalence about his identity highlights the text’s theme of finding one’s place in a complex, multilayered world. Like Simon and Maia, characters are often shown caught between past and present selves, illusion and reality.
Jace has grown up believing he was the son of Michael Wayland, but now has to find a new identity as Valentine’s child. Clary, who until the age of 15 did not know of magic’s existence, has to cope with the fact that she is not just a Shadowhunter, but the daughter of Valentine. Cassandra Clare uses these fictional dilemmas as a metaphor for the real-world struggle for identity experienced by many teenagers and adults. The first step in finding one’s true identity, the text suggests, is accepting one’s past and present.
The struggle for identity is difficult because of preexisting social prejudices and biases. Maia finds it difficult to accept her werewolf self as she knows being a Downworlder is a dubious status. Her dislike of Simon after he turns into a vampire can thus be interpreted as a projection of her own self-disgust. Jace too faces immediate prejudice once it is suggested he is Valentine’s son. He is called “Valentine’s arrow” and a treacherous, parasitical “cuckoo bird” (77). People like Imogen Herondale confine Jace’s identity to a spy or weapon of Valentine. Jace now feels the additional burden of proving to himself and others that he is not made in the same mold as his father. For Clary, the struggle for identity involves making her mark as a Shadowhunter and as a woman. Other characters, including Jace, frequently underestimate Clary, since she has not been trained as Nephilim. Clary also dislikes being reduced to labels, such as when Simon refers to her as his girlfriend. She tells Luke that she is now “somebody’s girlfriend […] somebody’s sister, somebody’s daughter […] and [she] still do[esn’t] really know who [she] [is]” (82).
To find their identity, characters must accept all parts of themselves and learn to overlook the expectations and prejudices of other people. The text uses the metaphor of special powers to emphasize authenticity, as the characters’ special powers are a symbol of their unique, true selves. Thus, Maia must accept that being a werewolf is not a curse, but a blessing. Clary must grow up and see that she is far beyond a girlfriend, daughter, and sister, while Jace must realize that he is his own person, rather than Valentine’s reflection. In the novel’s final section, both Jace and Clary grow into their special powers, signaling they are coming close to forging an independent identity.
The Dynamics of Family Loyalty and Betrayal
When the Inquisitor chides Isabelle for breaking the Law to help her friend Jace, Isabelle immediately corrects the older woman: “Jace isn’t our friend […] he’s our family” (266). Later, Isabelle tells Alec that the Law of family is above the Law of the Clave. Isabelle’s views show that the bonds of family are extremely important for the characters; however, the definition of family itself may differ. While for Isabelle, Jace is family because he is her adopted sibling, for Clary, Simon, her best friend, is a family member. Maryse does think of Jace as her son, but she is also conflicted about Jace’s connection to her arch-nemesis Valentine. The complex depiction of family loyalty and betrayal shows that while family is a powerful force, bonds of love and friendship can be even stronger than ties of blood.
While characters like Imogen believe that blood relationships are supremely important, Jace, Clary, and the Lightwoods place an equal premium on families of choice. Luke, who may not be a biological father to Jace and Clary, acts as a father to both of them and Maia. Valentine, on the other hand, may have raised Jace and engendered Clary, but is never a true parent to either. Clary tells Maryse as much: “Family is more than blood. Valentine isn’t my father. Luke is. Just like Alec and Max and Isabelle are Jace’s family” (63).
Later in the novel, the image of Jace letting Simon—a vampire—feed on Jace’s blood so he can live emphasizes the importance of family loyalty. Jace helps Simon because he knows how important Simon is to Clary; thus, Jace’s love for Clary is true and selfless. Further, the image of a Shadowhunter letting a vampire feast on his angelic blood shows that chosen families and friendships are above the bonds of social niceties and propriety.
While families—chosen and biological—stick together, the text also shows how family members sometimes betray each other. Maryse is forced to betray Jace and ask him to leave her house, as she is trying to do the right thing by him in an indirect manner. Alec betrays Jace as part of his pretense in front of the Inquisitor. Jace, too, betrays his loved ones when he keeps secrets from them, such as his meetings with Valentine. Jace also feels torn between Valentine and the Lightwoods, and worries about betraying any or both of his families. Early in the book, he tells Luke that Maryse wants him to say he hates Valentine, but he “can’t do that” (48). Luke understands Jace’s dilemma because he too once loved Valentine.
Thus, the bonds of love and family are presented in a complex rather than an idealized way. Love and loyalty force characters to sometimes betray each other, but as long as there is true forgiveness and course correction—as in the case of Maryse and Jace—order is restored in the world.
The Complicated Conflict Between Good and Evil
With the novel’s world divided between angels and demons, and its frequent use of light versus dark imagery, it is clear that the complicated conflict between good and evil is at the heart of the novel. Valentine’s desire for absolute power represents a threat to the usual order, posing an ethical dilemma for the other characters while revealing his own capacity for corruption and evil.
The novel blurs the boundaries between good and evil by depicting angelic beings as capable of evil. Valentine, a Shadowhunter, is shown killing and exsanguinating teenagers and slaughtering monks. He lets loose horrifying demons in the world, not even sparing former Shadowhunters from the menace. Thus, the boundaries between good and evil are shown to be shifty. Furthermore, the novel explores how evil creatures do not necessarily think of themselves as evil. Valentine truly believes in the rightness of his cause; like a real-world dictator, he insists he is a true savior and protector.
Valentine’s beliefs are an example of noble ideals being twisted to suit a nefarious purpose. In the important conversation that occurs between Valentine and Jace on the demon-ship, Jace asks Valentine his reason for summoning demons. When Valentine tells Jace that his only motive is the betterment of Shadowhunter society, Jace knows in his heart that Valentine has another reason: “Power, Jace thought, but he said nothing” (240). Valentine goes on to call himself “a true patriot” (239), the only person who loves Shadowhunter society so much he dares to rebel against authority. Thus, Valentine takes exalted concepts like patriotism to justify his bigotry and violence. The novel suggests that it is easy to get fooled by this manipulation; Jace reflects that, while listening to Valentine, he starts doubting his own ideas about right and wrong.
The novel also contains examples of good people making bad or evil choices. In the case of the Inquisitor, her grief and rage have so prejudiced her that she has lost sight of ethical behavior. Her treatment of Jace borders on cruelty. She refuses to see him as a person, much less a teenager. When it is obvious that Jace needs medical attention after his escape from the Silent City, the Inquisitor seems “exquisitely annoyed at Jace for being injured” and goes on to say “he’s shamming” (118). In her vendetta against Jace, she ignores the fact that Valentine is building a demon army, and wastes precious time, endangering the lives of many. Imogen’s case shows that one must guard against evil in their own actions.
The novel ultimately suggests that good and evil boils down to choices, rather than just motives and feelings. Thus, Jace and Clary’s choice to resist Valentine and Jace’s choice to revive Simon with his blood are examples of how good can push back against the overwhelming forces of evil, enabling good to triumph in the end.
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