53 pages • 1-hour read
The Serpent's Shadow
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death.
Carter Kane
Carter is one of the protagonists and point-of-view characters of the Kane Chronicles. At the beginning of The Serpent’s Shadow, Sadie notes that “since his fifteenth birthday he’d shot up in height and put on muscle from hours of combat training” (3). This observation reflects how much Carter has grown, both physically and emotionally, over the course of the series. Specifically for The Serpent’s Shadow, it highlights how Carter moves closer toward the leadership role he eventually takes up while masking how unprepared he feels.
Carter’s main internal conflict throughout the novel revolves around his struggle to protect those he cares about. Carter knows he must take on more responsibility and eventually claim the throne of the pharaohs among the magicians, and he fears what will happen on his path to do so. When confronted by Apophis, the serpent always tempts Carter with the promise of safety for his family. While Carter knows these promises are a lie, he is still tempted because he fears giving into Apophis is the only way to guarantee their survival. This dilemma reflects how Carter doubts his own abilities, but his choice to keep fighting shows that he is stronger than chaos.
Carter’s second greatest struggle involves his relationship with Zia, specifically how the two embody Ra and Horus. In myth, Horus desires Ra’s place as the king of the gods. Thus, Carter grapples with his own romantic feelings for Zia, as well as Horus’s desire to overpower Ra. Carter’s history with Zia and her shabti is entangled in this struggle. During The Red Pyramid, Carter fell in love with Zia’s replica, only to awaken the real Zia in The Throne of Fire and realize she did not return his feelings. At the beginning of The Serpent’s Shadow, Carter has been away from Zia for months, but his feelings have not diminished, representing The Resilience of Relationships in Difficult Times.
As Carter and Zia embark on missions throughout the book, Carter finds that his romantic feelings help him ignore Horus’s complicated relationship with Ra. At the end of the book, when Ra and Zia merge, Carter is initially uncomfortable because the girl he loves is inhabited by an ancient male deity. This discomfort offers Horus a foothold. Watching Zia/Ra be devoured by Apophis is a turning point for Carter: With his worst fear come to pass (the destruction of a loved one), Carter realizes that Zia’s relationship with Ra is inconsequential. Ra or no, Zia is still herself, and Carter solidifies his confidence to do what needs to be done to protect her (and the world), even though he knows he could fail. At the novel’s end, he has accepted his role as pharaoh and become Zia’s boyfriend, showing him at peace both with his new leadership role and his personal life.
Sadie Kane
Sadie is the second protagonist and point-of-view character of the series. Like Carter, she faces pressure from her patron goddess (Isis, Horus’s mother) to see Horus replace Ra. In addition, Isis’s role as the goddess of magic and sorcery gives Sadie insight into magic and the ability to comprehend concepts she would not normally be able to understand. These abilities are directly at odds with Sadie’s hot-headed impulsiveness: As she says of herself, “one of my many talents is making people angry” (22).
These opposing parts of her nature reflect Sadie’s greater struggle to define who she is. Throughout the series, Sadie grapples with such choices as whether she is a regular girl or a magician, as well as whether she’s American or British. The Serpent’s Shadow brings these struggles to the foreground as Sadie combats the forces of chaos threatening to harness her uncertainty and tear her apart. Ultimately, Sadie’s journey to save Bes allows her to put these questions aside. In restoring the god’s shadow, Sadie realizes that it doesn’t matter what she is because she now knows who she is—someone who’s willing to protect those she loves at great risk to herself.
Sadie’s romantic struggles also coincide with her dueling personas. Since Walt’s arrival at the Brooklyn stronghold in The Throne of Fire, Sadie’s interest has been divided between him and the god Anubis. While Walt returns Sadie’s feelings, he refuses to get involved with her because he is dying. Meanwhile, the rules of Egyptian magic prohibit relationships between gods and magicians, putting Anubis out of reach. As a result, Sadie cannot get romantic closure with either boy. This ongoing uncertainty fuels her struggle to define herself. When Anubis and Walt merge and take away this uncertainty, Sadie wants to feel relieved because she no longer must make a choice. Instead, Sadie feels even more conflicted because the choice has been made for her.
Ultimately, this development allows Sadie to face her own inner chaos. As she combines her love for Walt and Anubis into one emotion, she realizes she can do the same with her love for herself. In doing so, she lets go of her uncertainty to just be herself, regardless of what that means at any given moment. Banishing her inner chaos allows her to successfully execrate Apophis by imposing order upon him. Thus, Sadie’s emotional arc represents how she cannot help balance the world until she balances herself.
Walt Stone/Anubis
At the end of The Serpent’s Shadow, Walt and Anubis combine into one person. Prior to this merger, they have, in part, served the same purpose in the story as a romantic interest for Sadie and a representation of the power of death. Walt is a descendant of King Tut and cursed with a slow death that is accelerated whenever he uses magic. As a result, he has always had a close relationship with death, which makes his connection to Anubis (escort of the dead) fitting.
Meanwhile, Anubis has long struggled with the desire to live a normal life. Unbeknownst to Sadie, he and Walt decide to combine life forces, which would allow Anubis to experience the world and Walt to live past the limits of his curse. However, combining also fundamentally changes both of them into a new being. Thus, their decision to do so symbolizes sacrifice (death) and rebirth.
Specifically for Walt, the choice represents fear of the unknown. Despite the fact that Walt is slowly dying, it takes him until almost the end of the book to definitively agree to the merger. Though his inevitable death frightens him, he has also come to terms with it. Ultimately, Walt’s desire to live and his love for Sadie allow him to overcome his fear and make the choice that will let him have the things he wants.
Zia Rashid/Ra
Zia is Carter’s love interest and the champion of Ra. Unlike Carter and Sadie, Zia was raised among magicians and taught that being too close to the gods is wrong. Thus, she has struggled with embracing her link to Ra throughout the series. Watching Carter and Sadie work in tandem with Horus and Isis helps Zia understand that she is not wrong or broken. Rather, the gods have always been a viable path for magicians. This recognition allows Zia to finally merge with Ra and battle Apophis. In turn, this leads to her defeat and Carter/Horus’s rise to power.
Zia’s arc represents the importance of accepting herself and of how that acceptance allows her to do what must be done for the world to move forward. Such changes allow Zia to finally admit her feelings for Carter. She has also grappled with the tension between Horus and Ra, but once this is resolved, Zia is free to pursue what she wants, including a relationship with Carter and a chance to live life outside of magician culture.
Setne
Setne is one of the major antagonists of The Serpent’s Shadow and a foil for the other magicians. Where magician culture has taught that allying with the gods is the path to evil, Setne proves this teaching wrong through his past use of magic that was unaided by a godly patron. Specifically for Carter, Setne reminds him of his own struggle to take responsibility and come into his own.
Setne’s full name is Khaemwaset, and he is the son of the pharaoh Ramses the Great. As a result, Setne worked in life and in death to get out from under his father’s reputation and make a name for himself. While he’s failed to do so, his quest allows Carter to recognize that he does not have to feel stuck in his own father’s shadow. Thus, Setne becomes an unintentional role model for Carter.
Setne’s ability to, yet again, avoid judgment by Osiris at the end of the book highlights the magician’s resourcefulness and also how he has perfected breaking the rules after centuries of practice. His escape also symbolizes how there will always be chaos in the world, even if Apophis has been vanquished.
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