Patriotism

Patriotism for the fictional country of Ravka is an essential factor in the novel. At the beginning of the story, Alina and Mal run away from Ravka to seek safety overseas in Novyi Zem. They run away on impulse and their only thought is for one another. They want to be together and in love away from the Darkling, who has attempted to kill them and use them for his own ends: “They grew used to the clang of bells sounding the hour, the cry of the gulls, the unintelligible gabble of Kerch. The ship was their kingdom, and the sea a vast moat that kept their enemies at bay” (272). Having abandoned their homeland, the ship becomes Alina and Mal’s new kingdom. While they are temporarily safe, they are also connected to nothing more than themselves.

The Darkling accuses Alina of abandoning her country, and...