The Shadow King

“What is lost is gone my child, what is lost makes room for something else.”

Berhe’s advice to Hirut after Kidane takes the Wujigra applies to Hirut and to Ethiopia itself. Both Hirut and Ethiopia will lose their previous identities as they forge new identities defined by their resistance against colonial aggression.

“Some people are meant to be owners of things. Others, only to set them in their rightful place and clean them. It is a thought she has known but chosen to ignore, hoping that by force she can make herself into something else.”

Hirut believes that stealing Aster’s things proves she is not a servant. When Aster finds the missing necklace and beats Hirut, she is reminded of her place. They are only able to put their personal enmities aside in the shared fight to free Ethiopia and preserve its national identity.

“There is this: her mother told her when it was time, she would know what to do. But there is also this: the cook told her when it was time, there was nothing she could do.”

Mengiste explores the role of morally questionable parental leadership and guidance in perpetuating conflict. Rather than preparing Aster or helping, her mother and the cook betray her by normalizing and coercing her into nonconsensual sex.