The Poppy War

Content Warnings: This section of the guide discusses self-harm, drug addiction, explicit wartime violence, sexual assault, human experimentation, suicide, and genocide.

Opium is a motif that illuminates how Nikara society is affected by Addiction as a Tool of Control. Kuang has stated that she wanted to “play with the duality of opium as a source of not just weakness but also power” (Kuang, R. F. “R. F. Kuang on the Dark History Behind The Poppy War.” B&N Reads. 29 June 2018). Rin has been around opium her entire life because the Fangs employed her as a drug runner for their smuggling business. Opium addiction plagues much of Nikan’s population, including her Uncle Fang. Auntie Fang teaches Rin how people from marginalized identities, such as lower-class women like themselves, can use opium as a tool of control. She tells Rin that an arranged marriage is survivable; Rin must simply ply her husband with opium until he has an addiction. Then Rin “[would] have his riches, his estates, and his power” (14).

Jiang teaches Rin how to use opium to open her mind to the gods. He teaches Rin about shamans, the gods, and the universe.