50 pages • 1-hour read
The Amulet of Samarkand
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Symbols & Motifs
The Underwoods’ Garden
The Underwoods’ garden is a recurring symbol in the narrative that supports the overarching theme of Social Displacement and the Loss of Community. Initially, the garden at the back of the Underwoods’ home is a place of solace and fortification for Nathaniel. It is the only space within his new environment where he does not have to respond to any of the expectations or demands of his imposed role as an apprentice magician. As he observes, it is “a place of temporary solitude and retreat. No lessons [take] place there. It ha[s] no unpleasant memories” (65). The serenity he experiences within this garden is his only reprieve, as he is very rarely able to leave the premises of the Underwoods’ home. Without any of Arthur’s pressure or Nathaniel’s own expectations to excel, the garden becomes a space where Nathaniel can allow himself to wonder and dream. It even physically contains a representation of his ambitions: to be an important and powerful magician like William Gladstone.
In Nathaniel’s fight against Simon, the meaning of the symbol changes. The memory of the garden, now lost to the fire, becomes his touchstone to finding his focus and his confidence. The memory soothes his worries and allows him to concentrate in a way that only Ms. Lutyens was able to bring forth: “[H]e felt himself protected again from the wider world. He imagined Ms. Lutyens sitting quietly, sketching by his side. A feeling of peace stole over him. His mind cleared, his memory blossomed. The necessary words came to him” (449). The garden, therefore, becomes a gateway through which Nathaniel can access the full spectrum of his abilities.
Government
The British government is a motif used throughout the narrative to support both The Cyclical Nature of Oppression and The Illusion of Power. For Nathaniel, the government and all its affiliated symbols (such as the Houses of Parliament, the government-regulated newspaper, or the sculptures of Ideal Virtues at Whitehall) are potent representations of power, the ultimate position a magician can hold, and his greatest ambition since he was a young child. The image of power and supremacy coalesces in Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux. To Nathaniel, he is “the most powerful man in Britain, perhaps the world…Even at a distance, Nathaniel experience[s] a warm glow of admiration” (189).
However, as Simon exposes, the power of the government is fraught with a history of greed and perpetuated by the ambitions of magicians willing to kill for a better position: “How do you think Rupert Devereaux himself came to power? His master killed the previous Prime Minister in a coup twenty years ago and he inherited the title. That is the truth of it. That is how things are always done” (298). The government, therefore, becomes symbolic of political blood feuds and propaganda more than a benign power. For commoners such as Ms. Lutyens, the government is also representative of systemic inequality; as she explains, “[T]he current system is very beneficial for magicians and for a few lucky others who cluster all about them. Less so for everyone else” (100). The government therefore promotes a privileged few to hold power over the masses while endorsing ignorance, in-fighting, and betrayal—the very opposite of the government’s task to “rule honorably” (61).
Prague Cubes
The Prague Cubes are a symbol in the narrative that reveals the intricacies of Stroud’s world building and outlines the conclusion of Nathaniel’s initial revenge quest. The cubes are defined as “minor conjuror’s tricks peddled by low-caste magicians. Each cube [is] little more than a mite bottled up inside a metal shell with a variety of powders. When released with a simple command, mite and powders [combust] in an amusing way” (407). As tools, they symbolically represent an inherent condescension and prejudice even among the different social classes within the magician’s exclusive demographic group. From Nathaniel’s viewpoint, the division of castes among magicians includes “cheap conjurors and charlatans” who are unable to summon spirits (67), low-caste magicians who can only summon low-grade spirits like mites and implings, and more powerful government magicians like the likes of Simon or Rupert Devereaux. The cubes indicate how pervasive using spirits to imbue objects with magical potency is throughout Stroud’s Britain.
Nathaniel’s use of the cubes also bears on the revenge he has sought for most of the story: to redress his honor after being insulted and abused by Simon and his peers. Though Schyler had all his bound spirits (and thus his power) at his disposal, Nathaniel’s use of the cubes to defeat him showcases how his opponent relies too heavily on his bloated confidence in his magic. Nathaniel, comparatively, has learned to be practical and cunning, demonstrating that even the smallest of magicians can fell great masters with the right motivation and dedication.
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