Scarlet

“His pulse thumped, thoughts of worship and devotion swimming through his head. Thoughts of surrender. Thoughts of compliance.”

The first time Thorne and Cinder meet, she accidentally uses her glamour on him. Cinder’s powers are so new that she can’t control them, and in times of high stress, she bends people to her will unintentionally. This excerpt demonstrates the power Cinder can have over a person, even when she doesn’t want to. Cinder is far more powerful than she thinks, and Thorne’s thoughts in this quote hint that Cinder has the power to do exactly what Levana does to her Lunar subjects.

“The innocent child Levana had tried to murder thirteen years ago, but who had been rescued and smuggled down to Earth. Who remained the most-wanted person in the world. Who just happened to be Cinder herself.”

Meyer constructs an intricate backstory for her heroine, and in this clever play on words, Meyer hints that Cinder is “wanted” as both a fugitive and the Lunar princess. In the first novel, Kai searches for any clues that Princess Selene might be alive because he knows that she will be instrumental in stopping Levana from taking over the Earth. Little did Kai know that the girl he was searching for was right under his nose all along, dressed in mechanic’s clothes.

“What he didn’t know was how many times she’d glamoured him before that. How many times she’d tricked him. How many times she’d made him out to be a complete fool.”

In the first novel of The Lunar Chronicles, Kai develops feelings for Cinder, a pretty, down-to-Earth girl whom he thinks is honest and kind and completely unlike Queen Levana. When Kai learns that the girl he likes is Lunar, he starts to question all of their interactions. He even wonders if his feelings for her were real or simply another Lunar trick.

“To some, a wild beast, a predator, a nuisance. To others, a shy animal who was too often misunderstood by humanity.”

Scarlet is fascinated by Wolf, and after she hears a wolf howl at the Morel farm, she starts to wonder if there is more to his nickname than meets the eye. Wolves are often cast as the villain in many traditional fairytales, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” the original source material for Scarlet. Scarlet’s thoughts here foreshadow the truth she will come to find: Wolf is both a predator and a shy creature who is deeply misunderstood and mistreated.

“Just…that she’s hiding something. Something valuable and secret and they want it.”

When Wolf and Scarlet find her father once again digging through Grand-mere’s things, they demand to know why. Scarlet’s father reveals the motive behind the kidnapping: Michelle Benoit is hiding something valuable enough to garner the interest of the Wolves, and if he shows up empty-handed, he will suffer the consequences. This question begs to be answered: what does Scarlet’s grandmother have, and why is it so valuable to these men?

“I’m afraid we were unequipped to keep a prisoner who is both cyborg and Lunar.”

Cinder’s status as both Lunar and cyborg is a huge anomaly in the world of The Lunar Chronicles. In Cinder, Meyer explains that Lunars generally do not trust machines or anything that is partially a machine, like androids or cyborgs, because they are immune to the Lunar glamour. Being both cyborg and Lunar may make Cinder a social pariah in two ways, but it also uniquely equips her to use her own glamour while also resisting someone else’s glamour. This makes her a unique threat to Levana and her minions.

“Cinder held up her other, human hand beside it and tried to imagine what it would be like to be fully human.”

As Cinder begins to practice using her Lunar glamour in private, she gives in to a long-held fantasy: to look like a normal girl with no metal prosthetics. She tricks herself into seeing a flesh-and-blood hand instead of her metal one, and although she is pleased with the initial result, Cinder is quickly reminded by her lie detector that nothing she is seeing is real. She will always be a cyborg, glamour or no glamour.

“But Ran called you an ‘alpha.’ [...] And now you tell me that you left them around the same time my grandmother was kidnapped.”

Both of these details give Scarlet pause and cause her to question her trust in Wolf. He originally told her he was just an errand boy for the pack, not one of the highest-ranking members. And when Scarlet learns that he left the pack when her grandmother was kidnapped, Wolf quickly comes up with a reason for his abrupt departure. Still, this exchange hints that Wolf is more involved in Grand-mere’s kidnapping than he wants to admit.

“Her chest “I don’t see that her being cyborg is relevant.”ched as she wondered how many secrets had been kept from her.”

Scarlet once believed that she and her grandmother had no secrets between them. Grand-mere was Scarlet’s most trusted friend and companion, and when she learns that her grandmother kept so many big secrets from her about Luna, her grandfather, and Princess Selene, Scarlet wonders how much of their life together was real. Scarlet thought she could trust Grand-mere, and in this moment, there is a deep crack in that trust.

“I don’t see that her being cyborg is relevant.”

During Emperor Kai’s press conference, a reporter asks him about his decision to invite a cyborg to the ball. Kai is dismissive and makes it clear that he doesn’t care if Cinder is a cyborg. When Cinder hears this, her spirits lift, and even Thorne points out that Kai still seems to like her despite her being a cyborg. Cyborgs are social pariahs, and for the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth to say this is very telling; Kai still has a soft spot for Cinder, metal prosthetics and all.

“A Loyal Soldier to the Order of the Pack? [...] Lunar Special Operative.”

Wolf originally tells Scarlet that the “LSOP” on his tattoo is gang-related. However, when Scarlet learns that Wolf is working for a thaumaturge, the truth comes out: LSOP is not a gang but a group of Lunar soldiers who mimic the hierarchy of a wolf pack. Scarlet is hit with a double betrayal: Not only did Wolf not leave the pack as he said, but he is also not Earthen and is actually working for the evil Queen Levana.

“They’re Lunar. The thaumaturge—he has the Lunar gift. But it doesn’t work on me. That’s why they’re keeping me here. They want to know why.”

Scarlet has spent most of the novel wondering why her grandmother was kidnapped, and after weeks of speculation, the truth comes out. Scarlet’s grandmother has been equipped with the same device that Cinder had in the first novel, which renders her immune to bioelectric manipulation. Because the Lunars rely on bioelectricity to control the bodies and minds of Earthens, whatever technology Michelle Benoit is using is a direct threat to their plan to take over Earth.

“It is imperative that the people of Earth be too terrified to even consider fighting back.”

Thaumaturge Jael understands the importance of hitting hard and hitting fast. The attack aims to inspire paralyzing terror and send a clear message to Emperor Kai. If the attack is orchestrated successfully, Earth will bend to Levana’s wishes, and Luna will be one step closer to conquering Earth.

“She hadn’t been fully conscious until she’d been en route to New Beijing, ready to start her new life as a scared, confused orphan, and a cyborg.”

Cinder’s memory of her life is full of holes and missing pieces. She doesn’t remember anything about her life before the accident that made her a cyborg. Although she never questioned this before, she now wonders how 11 years of her life simply vanished from her memory. This curiosity sparks Cinder to seek out Michelle Benoit and learn more about what happened to her in the years after her accident before she was sent to live with the Linhs in the Eastern Commonwealth.

“Eight years. In a tank, sleeping and dreaming and growing.”

When Cinder discovers the underground room in Michelle Benoit’s hangar, she is hit with the reality of what happened to her. Cinder’s damaged three-year-old body was placed in a suspended animation tank so she could continue to grow, but she formed no memories during this time. Eight years passed, and Cinder grapples with the idea that she spent half of her life in a tank like a bizarre science experiment. 

“How many people had helped rescue and protect her, had kept her secrets? How many had risked their lives because they believed hers was worth more?”

As Cinder comes to terms with how she escaped from Queen Levana, she is humbled and disturbed to think about the people who rescued her. By the end of Scarlet, Cinder learns that Logan Tanner, Linh Garan, and Michelle Benoit all died for her and that there are probably many more people she never knew about. Cinder starts to understand the depth of their sacrifice and how much these people believed in her ability to end Queen Levana’s reign of terror.

“It’s happening all over the world, every country in the Union. Earth is under attack!”

Iko’s statement echoes the news coverage on the netscreens: A massive attack has broken out on Earth after generations of peace, and the planet is completely unprepared to deal with the crazed, animal-like men murdering innocent civilians. As the death toll climbs, the planet scrambles to figure out why this is happening, and Earth is brought to its knees after just a few hours of Lunar offense.

“Stop this, Wolf. You’re not one of them anymore.”

When Scarlet is faced with a version of Wolf that is wild and out of control, she tries to talk sense into him. She begs him to stay with her and protect her, just like he promised to, and although Wolf calls himself a dangerous monster, Scarlet refuses to believe that the man she loves would ever actually hurt her. Although Scarlet and Wolf haven’t known each other for very long, their bond is strong. Wolf’s determination to protect Scarlet sets him apart from the other Lunar operatives.

“This man had the mind of an animal. Scattered and wild and raging with primal instinct. The desire to kill, the need to feast, the constant awareness of where he stood in the pack and how he could improve his station. Kill. Eat. Destroy.”

When Cinder tries to take control of one of the Lunar operatives, she is horrified to see what his mind is like. At this point in the novel, the characters have observed these human men behaving like wild animals, but Cinder’s probe into this man’s mind reveals that he is operating with a warped, sadistic version of an animal’s basest instincts. She argues that even animals aren’t this depraved and unhinged, and she has to retreat from trying to control the man.

“She should have hated him, but all she could think of was his desperation when he’d kissed her on the train, when he’d begged her not to go looking for her grandmother.”

When Wolf learns that Cinder briefly took control of one of Master Jael’s Lunar operatives, he is impressed. He explains that men like him are extremely difficult to control, and even the most gifted of thaumaturges can only control a handful of them at a time after years of intense training. Cinder, however, was able to take temporary control of one of the men right in front of his thaumaturge on her first try. Wolf says that Cinder is incredibly powerful, and with the proper training, she could overpower Levana. 

“And this is why Levana wants you. You are stronger than she is.”

When Wolf learns that Cinder briefly took control of one of Master Jael’s Lunar operatives, he is impressed. He explains that men like him are extremely difficult to control, and even the most gifted of thaumaturges can only control a handful of them at a time after years of intense training. Cinder, however, was able to take temporary control of one of the men right in front of his thaumaturge on her first try. Wolf says that Cinder is incredibly powerful, and with the proper training, she could overpower Levana.

“These beasts—these scientific creations—would never love her. Not like the people of Luna loved her. Not like the people of Earth would soon come to.”

As Levana watches her thaumaturges training the youngest group of Lunar operatives, she looks upon the young boys with wonder, disgust, and a little fear. Levana’s control over her people depends on her ability to claim their minds and hearts as her own. She believes that if she forces her people to love her, their love will become real over time. Levana is fixated on being adored by all, and she cannot control Lunar operatives and force them to love her, but she can control the Earthens, who will soon be under her rule.

“We’re stuck on a spaceship, Wolf. I’m not going anywhere.”

In their final scene together, Scarlet and Wolf achieve some sense of closure after the tragic events that unfolded on the night of the attack. Scarlet forgives Wolf for his involvement in her grandmother’s death, and Wolf expresses his devotion to Scarlet. The two are a bonded pair, hence their conversation about alpha males and alpha females. Wolf is terrified of losing Scarlet, but she promises to be his and stay with him.