45 pages • 1-hour read
Fire and Ice
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Background
Series Context: Warriors Series
As the second book in the Warriors series, Fire and Ice picks up plot threads from Into the Wild, the first book in the series. In Into the Wild, Fireheart (initially known as Rusty) abandoned his predictable life as a kittypet to live in the woods as a feral cat. After proving his loyalty and bravery, he gradually won ThunderClan’s acceptance and became an apprentice warrior. He became friends with another apprentice, Graystripe (initially known as Graypaw), and this friendship endured and played an important role in the novel. Many of the conflicts that play out in Fire and Ice have their origins in the first novel. Into the Wild describes how Brokenstar (at that time ShadowClan’s leader) instituted a repressive regime and drove WindClan out of their territory; when Brokenstar’s true nature was revealed, an alliance of other cats drove him out, and a new leader replaced him. Fireheart and Graystripe’s bravery during this conflict earned them their status as warriors.
Likewise, the previous novel established suspicions about Tigerclaw. When Fireheart first joined ThunderClan, Tigerclaw wasn’t yet deputy and mentored an apprentice named Ravenpaw. Tigerclaw eventually became deputy after several suspicious and mysterious deaths, and Ravenpaw disclosed to Fireheart that Tigerclaw was cruelly abusing him. Ravenpaw also claimed that Tigerclaw was responsible for killing another cat in order to pursue power and that Ravenpaw was in danger because he knew about this murder. Fireheart and Graystripe helped Ravenpaw escape by claiming that he was killed so that Tigerclaw wouldn’t pursue him. These events set the stage for the plot events that unfold in Fire and Ice.
Literary Context: Forbidden Love in Literature
Fire and Ice explores the literary trope of forbidden love through the characters of Graystripe and Silverstream: It’s prohibited for them to fall in love because they belong to different clans, but they do anyway, risking everything to pursue their relationship. The notion of lovers pursuing a relationship despite significant obstacles has a long history in narratives from many cultures and different periods of history. Arguably the most famous example of forbidden love in Western literature is William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet; this play is the origin of the phrase “star-crossed lovers,” which refers to individuals whose destiny or fate makes it impossible for them to enjoy a happy future together. Like Romeo and Juliet, Silverstream and Graystripe are fated to be apart: Because they’re born into families who are at odds with one another, it’s impossible for them to be together. Like Shakespeare’s lovers, the two cats are arguably more stubborn and reckless because of their youth, and they ignore all advice cautioning them to end the relationship. In a subsequent novel in the series, the love affair ends tragically when Silverstream dies giving birth to a litter of kits fathered by Graystripe.
Other examples of forbidden love in literature include the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe (included in Ovid’s Metamorphoses), the love affair between Abelard and Heloise (documented in The Letters of Abelard and Heloise), and the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff in Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights. Many examples of forbidden lovers include individuals whose families or homeland are at war with one another, since this makes the doomed love a source of betrayal and danger. In some cases, such as in Wuthering Heights, class and social position make it impossible for the romantic relationship to be accepted. The consistent presence of these stories in mythology and literature throughout history reflects ongoing tensions between individual desires and the need to conform to societal expectations.
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