Dec. 22, 2020
By Adriana Rodriguez
Staff Writer
“Cinder” by Marissa Meyer focuses on 16-year-old Linh Cinder. At the start of the book, Cinder is covered in grime and oil as she methodically fiddles with her screwdriver. The smell of death surrounding her, Cinder hears coughing and screaming as she grinds metal. These repetitive sounds echo throughout her booth at the weekly market where she is forced to sell android parts and provide mechanical services.
Cinder developed her talent for mechanics as a result of a hover accident that occurred when she was three years old. It took the lives of her parents, and it also took her leg and hand. Since then, Cinder has been living as a cyborg with prosthetic organs and body parts. Forced to hide her new robotic parts, she experiences oppression and shame. Nonetheless, Cinder has adapted to her new body and has accepted the way society perceives her and her kind.
“Cinder,” which is the first book in “The Lunar Chronicles” series, is set in the fictional city of New Beijing in the aftermath of World War IV when cyborgs and androids came to be. In this young adult science fiction novel, Meyers introduces a diverse cast of characters that is inclusive and unique. A cyborg is a surprising protagonist, but Cinder’s empathy for those who have faced ridicule makes her endearing.
While Cinder experiences the discrimination and injustice that cyborgs and androids encounter, she also endures abuse from her family. She is verbally attacked by her stepmother Linh Adri and stepsister Linh Pearl.
Cinder and her friend Inko, who is an android, are aware of where they stand in society. Seeing Inko and Cinder accept the unjust treatment to which they have been subjected is troublesome. As their friendship develops, readers are given a chance to grow alongside them. By the end of the novel, readers will have a strong connection to Cinder and Inko as well as a desire to continue learning even more about them.
With a plague that terrorizes citizens, discrimination against an entire race and efforts to move towards equality, “Cinder” provides parallels that are eerily relatable to the present.
Another hardship Cinder faces is a harmful plague that is killing off her species and humans alike. This disease, which is called Letumosis, requires subjects to be tested and experimented on to find a cure. Cinder discovers that androids and cyborgs are being drafted for scientific experiments conducted by the government. As test subjects, they are losing their lives to save those who have oppressed them for so long.
As the relationship between her family worsens, Cinder discovers that her stepmother has enrolled her in the draft. While being experimented on, scientists realize that Cinder is immune to Letumosis. For this reason, Cinder is faced with a decision that influences the future of humans, cyborgs and androids alike.
The hardships Cinder experiences highlight the themes of this compelling novel.
Her determination to fight against discrimination as well as her bravery in advocating for reform and pushing for equality resonates deeply with readers. Cinder’s passion, personality and willpower make her a likable character whom readers can try to emulate.
With a plague that terrorizes citizens, discrimination against an entire race and efforts to move towards equality, “Cinder” provides parallels that are eerily relatable to the present.
This novel demonstrates the impact that one’s voice can have on the world. Though society perceives her as an outsider, Cinder perseveres and defends her values. She shows readers that everyone’s beliefs are valid, and her story inspires readers to speak out against wrongdoing and stand up for what is right.
