65 pages • 2-hour read
A Magic Steeped in Poison
A 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
Tea
Tea is a symbol of central importance to the narrative, even though its meaning shifts from character to character and from scene to scene. Initially, it symbolizes both magic and power for the shennong-shi, who use tea and the rituals around it to impact the people and the world. Relatedly, as Ning later reflects, tea also symbolizes the bridge or channel that connects different people, as represented by the flow of magic and influence that connects a shennong-shi with their client. This channel is what allows her to see into and even interact with a person’s spirit or soul.
In a cultural sense, tea represents tradition and legacy, given that each shennong-shi’s techniques align them with specific schools of thought or traditions. Chapters 7 and 8 highlight this fact when Shao, Lian, and Ning demonstrate their differing styles. Shao’s style is elaborate and flashy, aligning him with the nobility, while Ning’s powerful but modest style connects her to a rural tradition and to her mother’s illustrious legacy.
Finally, tea also symbolizes the myriad forms of class-based struggles and conflicts. For instance, the wealthy shennong-tu from noble families are frustrated when Princess Zhen limits their buying power in the first round of the competition, for they believe that their access to wealth should allow them to buy the most expensive teas and gain an enormous advantage in the contest, widening the gap between competitors like Shao and Ning. Ning herself comments on the class divide symbolized by tea at several points, as when she expresses her shock when Kang/Bo selects the expensive Golden Key at the teahouse. Her most powerful commentary, however, comes in the first round, when she uses a poem by a revolutionary to argue that tea can act as common ground between the powerful and the weak, as it is something that can be enjoyed by “both peasants and poets” (65). Though she believes this to be a relatively neutral, harmless statement, the Marquis’ objection and accusation of mockery and rebellion underscore the true class divide that he believes tea to symbolize.
Shadows
Shadows appear as a motif throughout the novel, signifying everything from physical danger and the political corruption in the court to the greater, seemingly supernatural threat that secretly looms over the kingdom. In Chapter 1, she sees a “dark shadow against the wall” (2) and fears that her father will catch her as she sneaks out of the house. Likewise, in Chapter 5, she spots a shadow that passes overhead, which turns out to be Kang following her. As such descriptions abound, these small moments hint at the larger, metaphorical shadows that loom threateningly over the entire narrative.
Shadows take on more concrete form in the figure of “the Shadow”: the mysterious person whom Ning catches stealing from her village’s tea warehouse. She believes that the Shadow is the one responsible for poisoning tea across the kingdom, and her determination to bring them to justice is part of her motivation. However, Ning’s understanding of the Shadow shifts when she learns that it is Ruyi, acting on Zhen’s orders to find the true culprit who poisoned the tea. In this instance, the prevalence of the Shadow contributes to the theme of political intrigue, as Zhen must act in secrecy to avoid the attention of court officials she does not trust.
By the end of the novel, shadows have shifted to represent the underlying threat that is enveloping the kingdom. For instance, when Ning heals Ruyi (and later Shu), the poison appears in the form of a shadowy darkness descending in the Shift space. Additionally, both Wenyi and Zhen’s astronomer warn that a “shadow” is coming. Crucially, the astronomer specifies that this darkness is “rising from the heart of Daxi” (343), implying that the true threat has not yet made itself known. This dire prediction foreshadows additional conflict in the sequel.
The Serpent
The serpent is a symbol that appears primarily in the second half of the novel, and it is important to note that the various mentions of a snake or serpent foreshadow the appearance of an as-yet-unknown true villain. The first appearance of a snake comes in Chapter 23, when Ning and Kang run from the monastery and a snake snaps at Ning, causing her to fall into the blessed spring.
The image of the snake appears again when Ning draws the poison out of Ruyi. The poison appears first as a shadowy darkness before transforming into a grotesque three-headed serpent that tries to attack Ning. Later, Ning faces this same serpent when she enters the Shift to heal her sister. Only then does the narrative reveal that this serpent is not merely a metaphorical representation of the poison but a conscious entity that is somehow responsible for the poisoned tea.
Additionally, the symbol of the serpent suggests the identity of this real antagonist when Elder Guo relates the mythic war between the gods in Chapter 35. One of the gods, the Golden Serpent, grows jealous and imprisons another. The Golden Serpent is eventually defeated, and his blood drips into the waters of the world, implying that something of his presence still lingers among humans. In Chapter 48, Ning concludes that the shadowy serpent she faces in the Shift is “something ancient and waiting” that “despises the old gods and all humankind” (363). Her musings suggest that the creature is either the Golden Serpent or is connected to this displaced god.
Unlock the meaning behind every key symbol & motif
See how recurring imagery, objects, and ideas shape the narrative.
- Explore how the author builds meaning through symbolism
- Understand what symbols & motifs represent in the text
- Connect recurring ideas to themes, characters, and events