Critical Thinking Question: How different are people allowed to be in this text? Does it assume everyone is happy and good in the same ways?

In the book Cinder by Marissa Meyer, all the characters are portrayed as being forced to be certain people fulfilling certain positions, even if they don’t desire it. The people and circumstances around them have labeled them in certain ways that may not even be accurate. The characters struggle to come to terms with what is expected and who their true personality really is, even if that is different from what other people want them to be.

Cinder is often overlooked by many people because of her background as a cyborg and Lunar. Many people are afraid of cyborgs, while Lunars are known to be evil because of their special abilities to mind control others. Because she is a cyborg, this makes her stand out as different from everyone else, and they treat her badly. For example, her neighbors stay away from her and warn their children about her too, despite Cinder sharing human-like feelings. Because she is labeled different, she is seen as bad. People think that all cyborgs are not human and all Lunars are evil in the same ways, even though Cinder is actually different from these stereotypes. She is treated like a group, not an individual.

Another example of a character in a forced position in the book is Prince Kai. Due to a major outbreak of a disease known as the plague, Kai’s father, Emperor Rikan, passes away, forcing Prince Kai to take his place as emperor. Before he died, Rikan proposed marriage to the queen of Luna, Queen Levana, in order to seal the treaty with the Lunars after being threatened many times with starting a war. Kai’s new role and responsibilities are summed up by what the royal advisor tells Kai: “’Your Majesty, with all due respect, you no longer have the luxury of being a lovesick teenager. You have a duty to fulfill to your people now.’ ” (Meyer, 348) Although Kai just wants to live a normal teenager’s life, he is thrust into following his father’s footsteps. He feels like he lost his childhood because of this, and doesn’t have the same abilities to do things he used to do when he was just a prince; he isn’t allowed to be himself anymore. Even though many people would probably think it is great being Emperor, it doesn’t make Kai happy.

Many of these characters wish to be someone else, in a different position in their lives; however there’s always someone or something that forces them to be something other than they want to be. They all have their own personalities and wishes, but it is a constant struggle for them to find a way to project it.