Fairest

“I was an unsightly child. My skin was the weak blue-white of skimmed milk, which wouldn’t have been so bad if my hair had been blond and my lips pale pink. But my lips were as red as a dragon’s tongue and my hair as black as an old frying pan.”

The similes “red as a dragon’s tongue” and “black as an old frying pan” offer a creative combination of the fantastical and the ordinary. These unflattering comparisons subvert generic conventions because most fairytale heroines are magnificently beautiful. The passage abounds with irony because Levine takes inspiration from “Snow White,” and the princess’s milk-white skin, black hair, and red lips are considered highly beautiful in the original story. In addition, the narrator’s harsh criticism of her appearance in this passage helps to communicate the emphasis Ayorthians place on looks and establish the theme of The Impact of Beauty Standards on Self-Worth.

“Slime and grime, 

Sludge and smudge, 

Mud and crud. 

Oh, gooey guck. 

And gluey muck.”

The author expresses the importance of music to the protagonist and her culture by including several songs in the novel. Lines like “Slime and grime” and “Sludge and smudge” employ internal rhyme. Aza’s cleaning song presents the main character’s playful sense of humor and illustrates how her creativity and musical ability help her tackle her everyday tasks and challenges.

“Why spend money on the ugly sister, who stayed out of sight as much as possible? Why spend money on the ugly sister when no amount of finishing would alter her face? I felt hurt anyway. For a day and a half I hated my family and everyone else. And myself most of all. Then I forgave them. But I didn’t forgive myself.”

The repetition of the question “Why spend money on the ugly sister[?]” drives home how beauty standards harm Aza’s self-worth and how she torments herself by turning the questions over and over in her mind. The choppy fragments at the end of the excerpt reflect how the character’s self-esteem is broken by experiences that make her feel ugly and unwanted. Additionally, the fragment “But I didn’t forgive myself” emphasizes how Aza internalizes her hatred and anger and directs them at herself, leading to long-term damage to her self-worth.

“The carriage clattered across the drawbridge. I saw swans swimming in the moat, four white and one black. The carriage stopped. I heard birdsong and people singing. A footman in royal livery helped the duchess step down.

Levine’s novel makes extensive use of literary devices that appeal to the reader’s sense of hearing to show Ayorthian culture’s emphasis on music and sound. For example, Aza’s arrival at Ontio Castle is depicted with onomatopoeia like “clattered” and the auditory imagery of “birdsong and people singing.” The passage also offers visual imagery with the colors of the swans. The abundance of sensory descriptions conveys Aza’s effort to memorize every detail of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and helps to immerse the reader in the scene.

“Ivi was only a few inches shorter than I, but she was fragile, almost insubstantial. Her honey-colored hair shone as though a bit of sunlight was caught in each strand. Her skin seemed to glow from within, like porcelain. Her bones—in her cheeks, her jaw, her wrists—were more finely shaped than the stem of a crystal goblet.”

Levine captures Ivi’s radiance at the royal wedding through visual imagery, such as “honey-colored hair,” and comparisons that liken the bride’s features to “porcelain” and “the stem of a crystal goblet.” The passage develops the theme of beauty standards’ impact on self-worth because Ivi’s appearance makes Aza feel even worse about her own. Additionally, Ivi’s ethereal beauty offers foreshadowing that her looks are the work of a potion rather than her natural appearance.

“‘Don’t be silly. I didn’t bring a companion in order to be alone.’ She stepped closer to the prince. I followed her. I was uglier than a hydra. I was as big as the corridor. There was nothing to look at but me. Prince Ijori announced the duchess. I stood frozen.”

Levine uses the hyperbole “uglier than a hydra” and the simile “as big as the corridor” to show Aza’s caustically harsh self-talk. These literary devices advance the theme of beauty standards by showing how Aza’s new proximity to the handsome royal family exacerbates her low self-worth. In addition, the narrator’s fearful tone in the sentence “I stood frozen” raises the suspense before she meets some of the novel’s key characters, including her love interest, Prince Ijori.

“When we sang together, the hall rang with hiccups and snores and yawns and sneezes. Oochoo stood and barked. It was a triumph. We were a triumph.”

The passage teems with sound effects like “hiccups and snores and yawns and sneezes,” creating a playful, humorous tone. The repetition of the word “triumph” captures Aza’s joy at winning the composing game with Prince Ijori. This scene represents an important bonding opportunity for the protagonist and her love interest, which underlines the theme of The Power of Music.

“‘If you’re not my friend, you’re my enemy and an enemy of the kingdom. The proper place for an enemy of the kingdom is a prison cell.’ The room seemed to tilt. ‘I don’t think your inn should flourish, either. I think its license should be revoked.’”

The repetition of the word “enemy” gives Ivi’s dialogue a hostile tone and emphasizes the queen’s cruel threats towards Aza. This dialogue presents a sudden plot twist and provides essential character development because Ivi was enthused about befriending Aza earlier that same day. The scene helps to establish the queen’s dangerously mercurial temper and her narrative role as the evil queen figure in this reimagining of “Snow White.”

“My reflection began to change. My chalky skin darkened a tone to alabaster. My cheeks turned a pearly pink. My rage-red lips softened to the hue of a ripe strawberry. My pulpy cheeks gained definition. My sooty hair became lustrous. Even my absurd bird headdress looked charming. Only my eyes were unchanged. I was stunningly beautiful, beautiful beyond any hope I’d ever had.”

Levine fills the passage with visual imagery, particularly through her use of vivid colors like “alabaster,” “pearly pink,” and the “hue of a ripe strawberry” to illustrate how the queen’s magic hand mirror transforms Aza’s reflection. The lovingly detailed descriptions and the repetition of the word “beautiful” in the final sentence create an awed tone. This helps to express how much it means to Aza to see her long-cherished wish to be beautiful granted in a way. Her reaction to the magical vision serves to explain why she takes dangerous risks in pursuit of beauty later in the novel.

“I wanted to promise him that I’d serve the queen faithfully, but I didn’t know what faithful service to her would mean. I wanted to promise I’d serve Ayortha faithfully, but I was engaged in duping the entire court. After a moment I said, ‘I’ll do my best to serve her honorably.’ I would try to do that. I would try to serve her well in spite of herself, in spite of my fear, in spite of my anger, in spite of my duplicity.”

The author uses the repetition of “I wanted to promise” to convey Aza’s complicated situation and inner conflict while the repetition of the phrase “I would try” emphasizes the protagonist’s good intentions. This reaffirms that Aza has a caring heart despite the ways that Ivi compels her to act against her conscience at this point in the novel.

“If I found a potion recipe or a spell, my every moment would be transformed along with my appearance. Eating would be transformed, because I’d no longer picture my broad cheeks stuffed with food. Walking down a corridor would be transformed, because I’d no longer feel my lumbering gait. Dressing would be transformed, because every ensemble would become me.”

The repetition of the word “transformed” at the end of each phrase, a device known as epistrophe, emphasizes Aza’s hope for a magical solution to her problems. In addition, the focus on everyday actions and vivid, unflattering descriptions like “broad cheeks stuffed with food” and “lumbering gait” convey how deeply her culture’s beauty standards are ingrained in her psyche. This constant bombardment of self-critical thoughts develops the theme of beauty standards’ impact on self-worth.

“‘Sir Uellu asked me what I think of you.’ 

‘What did you say?’ 

‘I said I thought you honest, and kindly to a fault.’ 

I wished I was honest.”

Ijori’s praise of Aza as “honest […] to a fault” is an example of dramatic irony because the reader knows that she is keeping important secrets from the prince. The narrator’s observation, “I wished I was honest,” makes it clear that the irony of the situation is not lost on her. This conversation creates tension by making the reader wonder what will happen to the relationship between the protagonist and her love interest if he learns that she is illusing for the queen. The high value that Ijori places on honesty develops the theme of The Importance of Authenticity, and Aza and Ijori’s relationship is one of the primary ways that Levine explores this theme.

“He murmured, ‘Don’t cry. What is it? Nothing’s so bad. Don’t cry, sweet. Oh, dear heart, don’t cry.’ Sweet? Dear heart? I turned to him. What was he saying? He rose and came closer and kissed my blood-red mouth.”

By repeating the endearments as questions, Levine communicates the narrator’s surprise at this tender treatment. The word “blood-red” is not only an instance of visual imagery but also a reminder that Aza sees herself as ugly because of her bold features, which explains why she is astonished by the kiss. The passage marks a milestone for the protagonist’s relationship with her love interest.

“When you think of me, 

remember how I yearned, 

remember how I ached. Know how I longed 

to be 

a bright blue sky.”

Aza employs “a bright blue sky” as a metaphor for conventional beauty. The repetition of synonyms like “yearned,” “ached,” and “longed” emphasizes how fervently she wishes to be beautiful. The subject matter and timing of Aza’s performance at the second Sing connect to the theme of the impact of beauty standards on self-worth. The event occurs after her first kiss with the prince, and she’s starting to gain a better relationship with herself. However, her song about wishing to be conventionally attractive makes it clear that she has yet to fully accept her appearance.

“The bailiff’s pike clanged against the tile floor with each step he took. I felt the clanging in my bones.”

The “clanging” of the bailiff’s pike is an example of onomatopoeia. The sound effect creates an ominous tone, builds suspense, and conveys the protagonist’s fear that she will be arrested. This fear is soon confirmed, making the foreboding passage an example of foreshadowing.

“A blaze ripped through me, from my scalp to my toes. My eyes watered and burned. I ran to the washstand and threw the water left in the pitcher on myself. The fire roared on. I saw my hand holding the pitcher. The skin was red and coarse, the texture and color of a tongue. The fire passed. But then my bones, my muscles, my bowels, my heart, were squeezed and twisted, wrung, as if by a giant washerwoman. I felt myself fall. Then I felt nothing.”

Levine conveys the agony and alarm Aza feels as the potion takes effect through metaphors comparing the transformation to a “blaze” and a “fire,” a simile describing the sensation to that of being “wrung, as if by a giant washerwoman,” and through imagery that appeals to touch and sight, such as “red and coarse, the texture and color of a tongue.” The passage develops the theme of beauty standards’ impact by showing the pain and risk the main character subjects herself to in her pursuit of beauty.

“The creature in the mirror. Skulni! He had a man’s face, a sharp face—small features and small ears and a nose that came to a point. He was smiling at me, his eyes slits of merry spite. ‘Fairer than Queen Ivi. You are the fairest one of all.’ His voice was flat, with no music. It was sugary and insinuating, the voice of a spider inviting a fly in for ostumo.”

The author’s descriptions of Skulni make it clear that he is the novel’s true antagonist. The visual imagery describing his eyes as “slits of merry spite,” the comparison of his voice to “a spider inviting a fly in for ostumo,” and precise diction like “sugary and insinuating” show his conniving, malicious nature and emphasize the danger he poses to Aza.

“I clenched my teeth and stre-e-e-tched. I felt heat. I knew I was bleeding, but I pushed the bolt and it moved. The lock scraped open with a whine and a creak.”

The use of hyphens to stretch out the word ‘stretched’ emphasizes the protagonist’s exertion and draws out the moment’s suspense. The onomatopoeia “whine” and “creak” are important because they signify that the cage door is moving, and Aza can free herself. The author’s use of sensory details immerses the reader in this tense scene.

“It is far more likely that she threatened you than that you connived for position and power. Indeed, it is more likely for the sun to turn blue than for you to be a schemer. Please forgive my mistrust. If you don’t, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Prince Ijori’s claim that “it is more likely for the sun to turn blue than for you to be a schemer” uses hyperbole to express his great trust in Aza. In addition, the repetition of the verb “forgive” in the last two sentences stresses his sincere remorse for ever doubting her.

“You’ll rule with a hand 

light as snow, 

velvet fingers, 

love beyond the throne, 

love to the borders.”

The song that Aza composes about Ijori uses the simile “a hand / light as snow” and the repetition of the word “love” to express the qualities she most admires in him, such as his gentleness, loving nature, and kindness. The song develops the theme of the power of music because writing the lyrics helps Aza feel comforted and closer to Ijori during her time in hiding.

“It wasn’t bad, sweet and not mealy. I began to swallow, then tasted something under the sweetness, something bitter and searingly sharp. I tried to cough the morsel out, but it wedged in my windpipe.”

The author uses gustatory imagery that slowly goes from pleasant to unpleasant, such as “sweet and not mealy” to “bitter and searingly sharp.” This shift helps the reader see the narrator’s thought process as she realizes that she’s been poisoned. This moment draws upon a key even in “Snow White,” in which the titular princess falls into a deathlike slumber after eating a poisoned apple given to her by the evil queen in disguise.

“I was a chorus, a choir. I threw myself—shoulders, elbows, knees, all my singing weight—into the mirror. I sang, ‘I won’t remain in a mirror, a beauty in a—’ A roar drowned me out.”

The metaphor comparing the protagonist to “a chorus, a choir” unto herself emphasizes that singing gives her strength. Listing out her body parts, “shoulders, elbows, knees,” and describing her physique as her “singing weight” represent a positive shift in how she views her body. This self-acceptance shows that Aza is learning the importance of authenticity. The dash and the roar that interrupt Aza’s song raise the suspense of the chapter’s cliffhanger ending as the reader must wait to see if she escapes the mirror and saves the queen.

“I was a tiny flame, tinier than a candle’s flame, buried deep in a glacier. […] My heart beat again. And again. And stopped. My flame guttered. My heart beat. And stopped. And beat. I felt my consciousness fade. As my flame winked out, I heard a dog bark.”

Levine utilizes a metaphor comparing Aza to “a tiny flame […] buried deep in a glacier” to express the peril the protagonist faces as she lies near death. Brief sentences and fragments like “My flame guttered. My heart beat. And stopped. And beat” add to the suspense and help convey how tenuous her grasp on life is. The onomatopoeia of the dog’s bark signals the presence of Oochoo and Ijori, offering hope amidst the suspense.