ro837

Heroine

The heroine, or protagonist of Graceling is Katsa.

Plot Summary

Graceling is the story of Katsa, a young girl born with an unusual skill, she can kill people with her bare hands. She is one of the “Graced”, a group of rare individuals who are born with unusual powers, and different coloured eyes. Due to Katsa’s particular grace, she is kept under the king’s thumb where he uses her skills to his advantage. When Katsa meets Po, a suspicious foreign prince graced in combat, Katsa’s life changes completely. Together, they embark on a journey that could uncover a secret that will shake the foundations of all the Seven Kingdoms of their land.

Graceling is the first of an anticipated 3 book story-arc, though each book is independent of the others.  The second book, Fire (published in 2009), centers around one of the antagonists early life and is more of a companion prequel type book. The third book meanwhile, (Bitterblue, 2011) will take place 6 years after Graceling and will centre around one of the secondary characters from Graceling.

Departure

I think that Graceling is peculiar as far as Hero journeys go because there is quite a bit of story that goes on before the actual so-called journey begins. In fact, you might say that Katsa goes on 2 journeys in this book; one that is mostly internal (an internal struggle about her role within Randa's court), and another that is more external (the quest to learn who kidnapped Po's grandfather). Since the primary plot of the story focuses on the external quest, I decided to illustrate what I believe to be the scene in which Katsa leaves behind the world that is familiar to her, and sets off with Po towards other kingdoms.

Initiation

I chose to illustrate the Road of Trials step of Initiation. Once Katsa has rescued Bitterblue from Monsea, her quest is far from complete. Sure they've successfully escaped from King Leck and his forces, but they must now escape from his wrath by going over the mountain pass that separates Monsea from the rest of the continent. Hiking through a mountain pass is dangerous at the best of times, but when it's the dead of winter, there are blizzards freezing you to the bone, and wild animals trying to eat you, things can get precarious to say the least. Katsa somehow fights off the wild animals, using the furs and skins to make warmer clothes for herself and the young Bitterblue, allowing them to walk in the cold a tiny bit more comfortably. 

Return

I chose to illustrate the Master of Two Worlds stage of the Return. 

After successfully escaping from Monsea with Bitterblue, Katsa is faced once again by King Leck in Lienid. Under his spell, she struggles to fulfill her duty, but once Leck is about to reveal Po's secret, she breaks free of his control and kills the evil King. The death of King Leck means that young Bitterblue is now not only heir to the throne, but the future Queen. 

The scene I drew is of Bitterblue's coronation. It represents Katsa's mastery of both worlds because not only has she returned to her previous role of fighter, by starting a school for young people to learn fighting techniques, but she is also immersed in the court life, both through Bitterblue's coronation but also through her relationship with Po. We see here Katsa gazing at Bitterblue becoming queen, but all the while she is also thinking about her new role as teacher and trainer at her fighting school. I chose not to add details to the other characters, but merely depict them as shadows because while their role is important, this is afterall Katsa's story. Only Bitterblue is depicted with any detail, and that's because her presence is part of what precipitated Katsa's journey to begin with. 

Final Thoughts

When I initially picked Graceling for my project topic, I was utterly convinced that it represented all steps of the Hero's Quest. Upon re-reading the book however, and examining it more carefully, I've come to realise that the novel really has 2 distinct sections, each of which could be considered a quest in itself, making it rather challenging to identify the appropriate stages. 

Futhermore, I've come to realise that many steps are omitted in this book, making it not quite a perfect hero's quest. If I had to choose anew, I might pick Blackbringer by Laini Taylor, which is one of my favourite books. I think that Magpie, the heroine in this story, is brilliant, and her story would make for an interesting hero's journey. Alternatively, I also might have picked The Wee Free Men or A Hat Full of Sky, both by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany Aching, the heroine in these novels is the quintessential hero-without-knowing-it. She's not unassuming, yet awesome.. I think it would have been fun writing about her. 

That being said, I really enjoyed the process of re-reading whilst trying to identify the various stages. I also really enjoyed being able to draw/paint my interpretation of these because it made it a tiny bit more fun for me.