Anathema

In Anathema, both Maevyth and Zevander face social exclusion, and through their struggles, the novel explores both how difficult their situations are and how they result in both characters evolving into stronger versions of themselves. Maevyth’s status as a social outcast began nearly at birth; the first chapter details how her mysterious arrival in Foxglove caused the villagers to label her as cursed, or the “lorn.” As she grew up, she faced social condemnation even in the smallest details, like the clothing she was allowed to wear. However, her ostracization from the village has also caused her to develop a fiercely independent nature, as when she asserts, “I refused to be subjected to [Moros]. Or any man, for that matter” (33). Maevyth’s status as an outcast is the reason why she develops a strong and independent character, but, in turn, her independence causes her to be further exiled. Later in the novel, Rykaia supports the conclusions that Maevyth has come to over her life regarding her ostracization by saying, “I find it interesting that any time a girl is unusual, or dare I say, unique, she’s deemed evil, or cursed” (334). It is only in Aethyria, a land of magic, that Maevyth starts to understand how oppressive the ideologies of her home were, where Maevyth faced condemnation simply for being a powerful, independent woman.

With Aethyria, however, the novel explores a different kind of social exclusion: classism. Zevander explains how the wealthy Aethyrians hoard vivicantem, a mineral critical to magic users, creating classes of Nilivir, or people whose magic has shriveled away from a lack of vivicantem. When Rykaia explains this issue to Maevyth, Maevyth asks, “Power determines wealth?” (480). With her astute assessment, Rykaia is forced to acknowledge how power and wealth become interchangeable in the face of finite resources. Because the wealthy hoard vivicantem, they continuously increase their magical power, which gives them the advantage in acquiring more wealth. Prince Dorjan sees the cruelty of this system and its effects on the Nilivir and spindlings; he notes that his father, the king, calls the gods cruel, but “[i]t isn’t the gods who are cruel” (576). Instead, he puts the blame on the wealthy, who acquire the vivicantem at the expense of the vast population of Aethyria. In the end, the people of Costelwick rebel as Maevyth rebelled against her exclusion, storming the castle and killing guards, using their superior numbers to make up for their lack of magic.

The novel also addresses the issue of social exclusion through Maevyth’s and Zevander’s magical abilities. Zevander was born into a Lunasier family, but like Branimir, he was corrupted by Cadavros, leading to his exclusion from normal, magical society. Maevyth, too, has been excluded from her bloodline since the Corvikae no longer exist. Zevander is one of three people cursed by sablefyre, while Maevyth is the last of her bloodline in existence. However, the very fact that their situations are unique is what enables them to understand each other’s circumstances. They are both forced to navigate their lives and abilities without guidance, but as Dolion points out, this is what makes Zevander uniquely qualified to train Maevyth: “You are the one person most equipped to train her, as you did not acquire the powers of sablefyre by blood” (327). Dolion notes the strength that can come from social exclusion, in which their common experience gives them unity and power. By teaching himself in isolation, Zevander has become more powerful than any other Lunasier, and Maevyth can also become even more powerful with his guidance. Through their exclusion, Maevyth and Zevander can find and hone their strengths together, highlighting the novel’s message that although social exclusion has a price, it can also become a source of power.