The Last Graduate

“I wasn’t alone anymore. They were saving me, and I was going to save them. It felt more like magic than magic. As though it could make everything all right. As if the whole world had become a different place. But it hadn’t. I was still in the Scholomance, and all the miracles in here come with price tags.”

In this scene, El conceives of herself as not only a member of an alliance with Aadhya and Liu, but also their friend. This quote communicates El’s burgeoning belief in the power of collectivism even as her emotions remain tinged with a certain degree of cynicism derived from the setting. Her attitude toward the Scholomance is one of the key forces that currently prevents her from putting her full faith in the power of collectives.

“You don’t do anything for anyone without some kind of return, and the return’s always got to be something solid, unless there’s some more substantial connection in place: an alliance, dating, something. But that’s why I knew the spell would work if everyone did agree. It means a lot more in here than outside to do something for nothing.”

El articulates one of the foundational principles of survival in the ruthless world of the Scholomance: that of self-interest. However, her musing comes in the midst of leading a spell that requires everyone to act altruistically. When the spell proves to be both potent and effective, El and the others learn the benefits of taking collective action.

“I’m not some sort of pallid romantic who insists on being loved for my shining inner being. My inner being is exceptionally cranky and I often don’t want her company myself.”

This quote captures El’s wry embrace of her misanthropic tendencies, and she also defies traditional literary stereotypes by refusing to be ruled by romance. El’s identity is shaped both by the Scholomance and by the ominous prophecy of her maternal grandmother. Her personality therefore has dark contours, and she is self-aware enough to recognize the impact that these factors have on her social identity and internal traits.