52 pages • 1 hour read
The Marvellers
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Symbols & Motifs
Marveller Sky and Conjuror Earth
Clayton begins the novel by positioning the worlds of the Marvellers and Conjurors as diametrically opposed. Their physical differences signal a disparity between their cultures and The Challenges of Integration from one culture to the other. Marvellers and Conjurors are cut off from one another geographically as well as culturally, with Marvellers living in the sky cities that can only be reached by magical transport devices. Conjurors remain close to the earth because their magic derives from the world of nature. More significantly, they carry a strong link to the Underworld and can communicate with the dead—an ability that frightens Marvellers. As Aunt Sera tells Ella, “Conjure is a bittersweet cross between rage and hope, but yet still full of love. We lived suspended. Every Conjuror from New Orleans to Havana to Cartagena to Bahía knows that” (174).
Marvellers perceive Conjurors, not only as different but as inferior to themselves, emphasizing Clayton’s analogy to racial discrimination against communities of color. Clayton roots her world-building in the conjure traditions that sprang up among enslaved Africans transported to the New World during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Her story centers the integration of the Arcanum with the admission of the first Conjuror student, paralleling the historical example of Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend the formerly segregated school in New Orleans in 1960. Clayton’s protagonist, Ella, represents the bridge between the old ways and the new. While she is devoted to her Conjuror family and their lore, she also wants to learn the magic that is taught at the Marveller academy. Maintaining a balance between her past and future proves difficult as she faces The Challenges of Integration. As her father tells her, “It’s a huge responsibility to be the first. You don’t just represent yourself, but all of us” (15).
Decks of Cards
Clayton establishes playing cards as a recurring motif in the novel symbolizing separation, pointing to The Inherent Injustice of Segregation. The decks used in the novel don’t correspond to traditional playing cards, but rather bear mystical connotations that distinguish or separate an individual from the magical community in some way. For example, rather than four aces, as in a conventional deck of cards, Clayton mentions five aces in The Marvellers, representing the five rebel students who experimented with marvels outside conventionally accepted practices: “Each one had a monstrous marvel that did not fit neatly into the Five Paragons, leading them to reject the categorization system” (90). The most fearsome of the Aces is Gia, the Ace of Anarchy. As her name implies, she wishes to tear down the existing power structure and wreak vengeance on everyone who wronged her. During Gia’s imprisonment, the Conjurors construct a cell for her from a magical deck of cards. Aunt Sera explains:
Marvellers who have committed crimes exist inside this powerful set of conjure cards. They’re made from the threads of death and act as vessels, or containers. Once sentenced, you cross into the card and are held there in perpetuity or until you’re released (179).
After Gia escapes, she makes contact with the other Aces by using their individual ace cards to summon them. At the end of the novel, Ella learns that her marvel is Cartomanic—meaning she can use cards for divination and containment purposes, foreshadowing her pursuit of Gia in the novel’s sequel.
Paragons and Marvels
Paragons and marvels remain the subject of frequent discussion among the Level One students at the Arcanum throughout the novel. They symbolize personal magical power and underscore the theme of Questions of Identity. Each new student arrives with a single question: “What is my Paragon?” Essentially, they are asking, “Who am I?” Answering this question proves especially hard for Ella because of her unique position as the first Conjuror admitted, and the many questions and doubts about her right to attend the Arcanum and whether she has any legitimate magical abilities at all.
The novel equates identifying one’s Paragons and marvels with integration and acceptance among the Arcanum community, highlighting Clayton’s exploration of The Challenges of Integration. Clayton immediately distinguishes Ella from her classmates when she tries to draw marvel light from herself and the color is different than the light from the other students: “Her hands glowed, then a ball of light appeared. But not bright—instead a black light with a violet and white core. Like a sky at twilight. Ella jumped with surprise. What was this?” (138). Ella frets about the difference she notices between herself and the other students because she knows any difference will make assimilation more difficult. Ella remains self-protectively committed to fitting in and believes that identifying her Paragon will somehow end her identity crisis: “Sometimes when she [catches] someone staring at her or accidentally [catches] a snippet of a nasty whisper, it [makes] her wish she already knew her Paragon. She [feels] like a puzzle piece desperate to find its place” (150). Ironically, when Ella finally learns the nature of her Paragon at the end of the story, she finds it no longer matters to her, signaling the completion of her character arc.
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By Dhonielle Clayton
