82 pages • 2 hours read
Scott WesterfeldLeviathan
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Character Analysis
Prince Aleksander of Hohenberg
Prince Aleksander, more commonly referred to as Alek, is one of the story’s two protagonists. He is the only child of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his common-blood wife, Princess Sophie. As such, Alek was raised in a palace and given the education of a prince, but he cannot inherit any of his father’s lands or titles. This is the root of the confusion surrounding Alek’s identity. He thinks and acts like a prince but is painfully aware that he has no power. Alek is a round and dynamic character who changes significantly over the course of the story.
As the book opens, Alek is playing with items on his desk, acting out war strategies and sulking because his parents didn’t take him to Sarajevo with them. At 15 years old, Alek is still a child and thinks of war as a game. He grows up quickly when he is forced out of bed and into a stormwalker and told that his parents have been murdered. He is hunted for weeks by assassins. Despite the danger he is in, Alek is pretentious and spoiled, often upset that his crewmen don’t give him the respect he thinks he deserves. However, as he encounters more danger and experiences the horrors of war, Alek learns to think outside of himself. After two weeks hiding in the walker, “Alek had slowly come to understand everything his men had given up for him: their ranks, families, and futures” (58). Similarly, when Alek accidentally kills a young Austrian soldier, he realizes how many innocent people will suffer because of war and politics they can’t even understand (86).
The most significant changes to Alek’s character come later. Though he acts entitled and confident at the beginning of the book, he is deeply insecure and relies on others to make his decisions. Though Alek resents it, he listens to Volger and Klopp, unable to think for himself. However, as Alek experiences more of the real world and begins to form his own opinions, he begins to disagree with his advisors, particularly Volger. Alek is torn between doing what he believes is right and his responsibility to Austria-Hungary. Though Volger tells him to stay hidden and safe, Alek sneaks away to help the shipwrecked crew of the Leviathan, demonstrating compassion. Later, Alek defies Klopp and forces the walker toward the battle between the Leviathan’s crew and German zeppelins. Alek’s newfound confidence and leadership can be summarized in his brief conversation with Volger when he tells him, “I’ve chosen a different path now—one less safe. Either you recognize that or we part ways when the ship lands” (143). Though Alek feels responsible for his homeland, he acts on what he believes is right, even if it puts himself and his crew in danger.
Deryn/Dylan Sharp
Deryn is the second protagonist of the novel, a bold and adventurous 15-year-old girl with a passion for flying. She is smart and brave, and she disguises herself as a boy to enter the British Air Service. Deryn’s core desire is to live freely, preferably in the sky, without the restraints that the era places on women. She is willing to risk her freedom and change her name to Dylan to sneak into the Air Service so she won’t have to return to Scotland, where her mother and aunts are “ready to stuff Deryn back into skirts and corsets. No more dreams of flying, no more studying, no more swearing!” (17). She is a round and dynamic character who struggles with balancing her masculine-coded desires with her feminine ones.
Deryn firmly believes that girls can do anything boys can. She is eager to prove herself, evident in her inner monologue when she flies the Huxley for the first time, saying, “Hey, all you sods, I can fly and you can’t! A natural airman, in case you haven’t noticed. And in conclusion, I’d like to add that I’m a girl and you can all get stuffed!” (24). She is cool-headed and clever in emergencies, like when the Huxley gets caught in a storm during her air test, when the Leviathan is attacked by German planes, and when Alek’s crew comes to rescue him and almost attacks the fallen airbeast. Deryn is also compassionate and cannot imagine why her fellow airmen are so eager for war. After a combat drill one night, Deryn thinks, “Watching the fléchette strike had left her shaky. Maybe Newkirk was itching for battle, but Deryn had joined the Air Service to fly, not to shred some poor buggers a thousand feet below” (74).
Deryn’s biggest struggle is keeping her identity a secret, especially when her feelings for Alek conflict with her masculine-coded desire to fly. Deryn loves the freedom and opportunities of flying, which would not be available to her if everyone knew she was a girl. While she is mildly concerned that someone else will discover her secret, the bigger challenge is not telling Alek. After the teens become friends and Alek confides in her, thinking she’s a boy, Deryn develops a crush on Alek and wants to tell him the truth. This desire to be honest with him directly violates the oath Deryn took when she joined the Air Service. Deryn never gets the opportunity to share her identity with Alek, leaving her desires unfulfilled and her struggle unresolved.
Wildcount Volger
Volger is Alek’s fencing master and a long-time friend of Alek’s father, Archduke Ferdinand. Volger is Alek’s foil and archetypical mentor. His wisdom, expertise, and desire to protect Alek and Austria-Hungary contrast with Alek’s rash decision-making, naivety, and ignorance. Volger antagonizes Alek by belittling him and consistently reminds Alek of his inferiority due to his mother’s common blood, but he later reveals that this was all an act to protect Alek. As his mentor, Volger’s core desire is to protect, guide, and support Alek, which often means telling Alek where he is wrong. As Alek grows into his own man, the two commonly disagree about the right thing to do. Though Volger is older and wiser, he comes to respect Alek and agrees to follow him, even though he chooses a different path than Volger would have liked.
Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow
Dr. Barlow’s character defies the stereotypes about women in the book’s time period. She is the head keeper of the London Zoo, a renowned scientist, and a diplomat. This is surprising to Deryn, who “had never heard of a lady boffin before—or a female diplomat, for that matter” (96). Dr. Barlow is a round, multifaceted character. She is loud, demanding, intelligent, and surprisingly influential aboard the Leviathan. She is secretive and subtle, able to learn about Alek and his crew by listening and dropping intentional comments to gauge Alek’s reactions. She keeps the true mission of the Leviathan a secret until the very end of the book, where she also reveals her true identity as Charles Darwin’s granddaughter, which explains her powerful position on the ship. Even when it appears she has “come clean” and told Alek and Deryn everything, Dr. Barlow still keeps the contents of the eggs a secret and hints that she has special plans for Alek. This leaves Alek unsure if Dr. Barlow is a truly trustworthy character.
Otto Klopp
Otto Klopp, master of mechanics for the Hapsburg family, is a static character. He is Alek’s piloting teacher, a commoner commissioned by the royal family because of his great skill. He is encouraging and kind to Alek, balancing Volger’s direct and aggressive mentorship. He remains steady and kind throughout the book, always applauding Alek’s efforts. Like Volger, Klopp’s goal is to keep Alek safe, and he is willing to give up his life to do so. Though he is a commoner, Klopp’s authority supersedes Alek’s. When the Germans arrive at the glacier to attack the Leviathan, Klopp refuses to enter the battle. From her perch, Deryn notices that “it was obvious Bauer and Hoffman would obey Klopp, not Alek, no matter how important the boy was back in Clanker-land” (202). However, when Alek perseveres and does what he believes is right, Klopp supports and encourages him, no matter how strongly he disagrees.
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