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.
Symbols & Motifs
The Archduke’s Saber
Alek’s father’s saber is used only once during the book and symbolizes Alek’s decision to forge his own destiny. While Alek and the stormwalker’s crew are running toward the Swiss border, a phosphorous flare sticks to the side of the machine, revealing the stormwalker’s exact location to its enemies. To remove the flare, Alek finds an old saber in a locker and uses it to hack at the phosphorous. Volger tells Alek that the sword is over two centuries old and belonged to the Archduke, but Alek replies that his father cannot help them now. He climbs to the exhaust port of the moving walker and uses the saber to remove the flare, then throws the smoking saber into the wilderness, apologizing to his father. This is symbolic of how Alek chooses to do what he believes is right, even if that means throwing away his father’s legacy and potentially his role as Emperor. He consistently chooses to help the shipwrecked crew of the Leviathan, even though it puts himself and his crew in danger, telling Volger that he has “chosen a different path now—one less safe” (143). Just as Alek decides to throw away the heirloom saber to save the crew of the stormwalker, he throws away his own safety and sense of self-preservation to help the Leviathan’s crew, who would have died without his aid.
Darwinist Fabricated Beasts, Clanker Machines, and the Leviathan Modified with Clanker Engines
Throughout the book, the fabricated beasts serve as symbols of the Darwinist countries, mainly the British Empire, Russia, and France, while multi-legged, armed machines symbolize the Clanker countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. The way these countries use science to advance their technology creates a clear divide between world powers. On a smaller scale, the Leviathan represents the Darwinists and the Cyklop Stormwalker that Alek and his men use represents the Clankers.
At the end of the book, Alek and his team add the ruined stormwalker’s engines to the Leviathan, making the airship a combination of the two technologies. Just as the fabricated beasts represent the Darwinists and the machines represent the Clankers, this combination of technologies is a symbol of what can be accomplished when two competing forces work together. The combination of technologies erases the divide between “us” and “them,” becoming something new and different; as Deryn said, “A little of us and a little of them” (247).
Privilege and The Role of Women during World War I
A recurring motif throughout the book is privilege and the role of women during World War I. This is most obvious because Deryn needs to pretend to be a boy to pursue her interest in flying and serving her country. As a girl, she feels relegated to dresses, corsets, and tea parties. The reactions Dr. Barlow receives are another sign of how women are expected to act. When Deryn meets Dr. Barlow, she thinks:
She had never heard of a lady boffin before—or a female diplomat, for that matter. The only women who tangled with foreign affairs were spies, she’d always reckoned. But Dr. Barlow didn’t quite have the air of a spy. She seemed a bit too loud for a job like that (96).
Dr. Barlow does not fit Deryn’s understanding of a “proper” woman. She is loud, commanding, and most of all, a scientist. Deryn doesn’t fit that description either, but Dr. Barlow continues to pursue her scientific passion as a woman, whereas Deryn has disguised herself to live the life she wants. This touches on the privilege Dr. Barlow carries as the granddaughter of Charles Darwin. Dr. Barlow is able to continue her studies and persuade the ship’s captain because of the advantage her family association gives her. If Deryn had attempted to join the Air Service without her boy disguise, she would have been sent home. While neither woman is expected—or allowed—near a warship, both have decided to ignore the gender roles assigned to them and pursue their individual callings.
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By Scott Westerfeld
