Cold

Mare feels cold throughout the novel, beginning in Tuck. The cold begins as a feeling that dulls her emotions, and becomes a constant feeling that “spreads like rot” (341) and leaves her fearful of losing her ability to feel altogether. After the raid on Corros Prison, Mare embraces the cold, feeling that it wakes her up. Cold symbolizes Mare’s feelings of fear and dread over her future and the future of the newbloods, as well as her isolation from those around her. After Corros, it comes to symbolize her resilience and a motivating force to create change.

Purple Fabric

The purple fabric is a cloth embroidered with lightning that hangs from the Barrow’s door in Tuck. The fabric helps Mare identify her family’s bunk, but it also represents their willingness to accept her as she is. As she states, it is “neither Red nor...