52 pages • 1 hour read
Penn ColeGlow of the Everflame
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Crown
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of violence.
The Crown of Lumnos symbolizes power, and its stolid position above Diem Bellator’s head indicates that the balance of power in Lumnos is irrevocably shifting, ushering in a bold new age for the real. In this moment, she realizes that she has “been selected” to be “the new Queen of Lumnos” (2), but she wants to deny the power that the Crown represents. At this early stage, she believes that she is a mortal and does not see herself as important or special, even if the presence of the Crown suggests otherwise.
When Diem sees the Crown floating above her head in the “large, bronze-edged mirror” of her new bedchamber (54), she begins to come to terms with her gods-given power. She stares at her reflection, noticing that the Crown is “pulsing and glittering, floating with unearthly grace” (54). Rather than remaining “a static object” situated on Diem’s head, the Crown is “a kind of living creature” whose animation mirrors the significance of Diem’s royal position (54). Its very appearance therefore suggests that she cannot act as a passive, static ruler; instead, she must continue to grow and change, just as her people do.
The Challenging
The Challenging is an event that becomes symbolic of political unrest. In practical terms, this ritual allows the royal houses an opportunity to contest the incoming king or queen. Each of the houses that opposes the incoming ruler can challenge her to a magical battle to the death. Before the Challenging, Diem tries to channel and hone her magical powers so that she can conquer any opponent that might challenge her. Her anxiety over this looming event mirrors the increasingly tumultuous political climate. The people of Lumnos—particularly the Descended—grow upset and fearful when the Crown appears above Diem’s head, and the Descended do not want to accept her as their queen because they are convinced that she is a mortal imposter. Their response to Diem and their determination to destroy her at the Challenging captures the conflict between the different classes in Lumnos. The royal houses believe that if they can defeat Diem in the Challenging arena, they can silence or expel the mortals forever.
Diem ultimately triumphs during the Challenging, and this moment illustrates her ability to navigate her country’s political unrest. She not only learns how to use her powers in the arena, but she also tries to show Rhon Ghislaine mercy and is only forced to kill him when he continues to resist. She also proves herself to her people and gains their respect. Once they believe in her right to rule, the Descended are more apt to fear, trust, and follow her.
Diem’s Magic
Diem’s magic is symbolic of self-possession and confidence. Throughout the novel, she tries desperately to channel her powers but can rarely manage to do so. At times, she can feel the magic “prowl[ing] inside [her], infecting [her] veins with a searing heart” and causing her body to twitch “with an ache to give in to its ruthless call” (83). When she feels the magic brewing inside her, she is in tune with her emotions, and when she activates her magic, she is acting from her heart and being true to herself. This is why she feels “strong” and “fast” after she uses her magic in Chapter 8. In this moment, the magic feels like an “explosion of power” bursting out of Diem’s chest (89). The intensity of her powers symbolically captures the depth and complexity of her internal world.
Whenever Diem fails to use her magic, it is because she is not listening to her heart. At times, the magic goes silent inside of her, and she cannot hear the voice in her head or sense any feeling in her body, and in these moments, her sensory deprivation mirrors her quashed emotional state. Eventually, Diem fully inhabits her true self when she channels her powers at the Challenging. The images of her levitating in the arena and surrounding the stands with magical light convey her expansive spirit and strength of will. As she conjures “jagged bolts of lightning [that form] a blinding web of sizzling pale blue” (557), this imagery illustrates the power of Diem’s spirit when she is attuned to the desires of her heart.
