The Second Death of Locke

The Second Death of Locke explores the tension between personal loyalty and institutional duty, ultimately arguing that a person’s devotion to the people who are most important to them is a more binding commitment than any national cause. As Grey and Kier repeatedly prioritize each other’s safety and well-being over their military orders, the narrative suggests that commitments based on love often place individuals in conflict with the very systems they have sworn to serve. Grey and Kier’s determination to prioritize each other is first established through their illicit decision to undergo a forbidden binding ritual. Within the context of a world in which all magic is waning, the act of rendering a mage/Hand pairing exclusive further limits an increasingly precious resource. Yet despite their knowledge that binding is punishable by death, Grey and Kier engage in this irreversible process, formalizing their personal allegiance as their own highest law, which clearly supersedes military protocol in their eyes. This perspective is reinforced by the cynical comment of the veteran Hand, Mare Concord, who warns Grey, “We’re going to die under Scaelas’s banner, and for what?” (11). Mare’s bitter words frame institutional duty as a thankless, fatal path, unlike the egalitarian and life-affirming nature of Grey and Kier’s partnership.