The Arrow Of The Queen Essay

“Arrows Of The Queen” is a story that teaches us many lessons. In “Arrows Of The Queen” the author uses the motifs Abuse, Friendship, and Duty. A motif is a recurring theme, idea, or subject in a literary work. These motifs help readers connect and learn life lessons.

Abuse is the most prevalent motif in the book. The story is about the main character Talia overcoming many abusive things in her life. She was emotionally and physically abused as part of the daily life in her home, but was also emotionally and physically abused in particular by her handsome older brother, Justus. Even in the first few chapters, the author stated what Talia’s normal life was like. This was done by saying “... if Keldar lacked the necessary tools to accomplish the breaking and bending,there were others among the Holderkin who suffered no such lack” (11-12). This implies that Talia and other children in the book have been beaten many times before. From her brother, who was described as being “beautiful”, she learned to fear mean in general, and good looking men in particular. This makes it hard for her to develop trust and friendships with men once she gets out of her home and into the Collegium.

In the story, Talia learns that the best way to help herself prevent future abuse and get over past abuse is to make and be around friends. She realizes this when she is told by her first teacher-friend “...the more friends you have, the better protected you will be” (166). This shows that Talia needs to make friends to help her through bad areas in life. She starts with the girls she spends the most time with, and two of her teachers. As her first year goes on, she also becomes friends with a boy, Skif, and a retired herald, Jadus. These two become a big part of her adjusting to her new life, and getting through her problems with the Blues who target her for more