Hemlock & Silver

Anja is the protagonist and narrator of the work, a scholar-healer whose methodical and empirical worldview is challenged by supernatural events. She is a dynamic and round character, defined by her rigorous scientific inquiry, a trait born from the trauma of her cousin’s death from poison hemlock. In her rejection of uncritical acceptance of classical authorities in favor of observation and experimentation, she embodies the theme of Questioning Scientific Authority and the Pursuit of Truth. Her process involves testing poisons, such as chime-adder venom, on herself to verify their effects and develop antidotes.

This scientific mindset initially places her at odds with the courtly intrigue and inexplicable “magic” she encounters, establishing her as an intellectual outsider. Despite her professional confidence, Anja is socially awkward and deeply uncomfortable with the superficiality and expectations of court life, stating, “I’m still going to dress like a nun. It’s safer than sending me out in gowns that will catch fire or fall down when I least expect it” (31). Both her dialogue and her internal monologue thus reveal a constant, often humorous, struggle between her scholarly identity and the social roles she is expected to fill while implicitly critiquing the latter.