“She could imagine it. She had imagined, a hundred times over, how it would feel to be liked instead of feared. To see people smile instead of flinch when she walked into a room.”

Mr. Jones (Ezra Squall) tries to offer Morrigan the world she long dreamed of—a world where no one fears her. However, he cannot give her this world because he works toward his own selfish goal, though he appears benevolent.

“Perhaps your announcement might have been better received at a less sensitive time. For instance, the day after my only grandchild is due to tragically leave us at the age of eleven.”

Morrigan’s grandmother foreshadows the later revelation that she is the only Crow family member who cares about Morrigan. It also foreshadows the revelation of her signing Morrigan’s contract to help her escape Jackalfax.

“The Hunt of Smoke and Shadow had caught up with them. They were surrounded on all sides by the huntsmen on horseback and their slavering hounds.”

Ezra Squall’s Hunt of Smoke and Shadow symbolizes the inescapability of death. By surrounding Jupiter North and Morrigan with the Hunt, Jessica Townsend creates a symbolic situation where the only way to evade death is creative thinking—the desire to choose one’s own path.

“A tornado of questions swirled in her head, and all she could do was try to grab at them as they flew by.”

Townsend uses the metaphor of a tornado to capture Morrigan’s confused state. She wants to ask questions, but the “tornado” of her storming emotions prevents her from voicing everything she is thinking.

“‘Step boldly!’ the woman in the silk gown shouted. Then without hesitation, she leapt from the roof and floated down, down, down all thirteen stories.”

As a new age begins in Nevermoor, everyone at Hotel Deucalion takes a leap of faith off the roof. Despite the leap being frightening, like Morrigan not knowing what to expect in the Wundrous Trials, trust is often needed to make strides.

“She watched Jupiter, waiting for an accusation, for him to turn on her with suspicion.”

Though Morrigan has taken the symbolic leap of faith off Hotel Deucalion, she struggles to leave behind her old life. When disaster strikes, she instinctively prepares to take blame, because this reaction is all she knows how to do.

“They stood in silence for several minutes, watching the newborn chandelier grow slowly, emerging from the safe cocoon of the ceiling just like an adult tooth from healthy pink gums.”

Nevermoor thrives on various forms of magic. Townsend links the growing chandelier to an adult tooth, as it becomes a symbol of young Morrigan’s growth.

“But to the nine of you who join us at the end of the year, I promise this: a place to belong. A family. And friendships to last a lifetime.”

Elder Quinn speaks to Morrigan’s greatest desire, the reason why she followed Jupiter to Nevermoor. She wants to belong, and the Wundrous Society offers her just that. However, she can only earn a spot if she completes her arc.

“A feeling of righteous relief coursed through Morrigan. Already ours. She glared up at Flintlock, emboldened by the knowledge that the Wundrous Society law was on her side.”

The threat of deportation, of losing everything she’s dreamed of, hangs over Morrigan in the form of Inspector Flintlock. In a way, he echoes her father Corvus, wanting to confine her to shaming and strict rules.

“A flash of searing heat and tiny purple sparks met her fingertips, and she snatched her hand back.”

Morrigan believes there is nothing special about her, besides her “curse.” However, the sparking of an extinct fire tree foreshadows her control of Wunder— the “power” of the Free State—as a potential Wundersmith.

“But there was no heroic mother on its back, coming to save the day. Only a towering, skeletal man holding a long black rifle.”

The shadows that Morrigan and Hawthorne Swift play with take on a life of their own, and eventually become the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow. Though they are not truly the Hunt, they represent death and Morrigan’s inability to escape it.

“Jupiter says a lot of things. It’s all background noise to me. Hold tight.”

If Jupiter symbolizes the optimism that Morrigan needs to complete the Wundrous Trials, Fenestra (or Fen) symbolizes ruthlessness. Instead of letting Morrigan take the easy way out, Fen pushes her to do the best she can. This determination will benefit her long-term journey.

“Why does everyone think valor and sportsmanship are going to win them any favors? We’re testing for tenacity and ambition, not bloody niceness.”

Though Morrigan does not display the qualities that this particular official seeks in a Wundrous candidate, she does display kindness. Though Cadence does not reciprocate Morrigan’s friendship, she repays the other girl’s kindness by using her mesmerist power to help both of them pass the Chase Trial.

“Some say he was weakened by the attack. Some say his monsters deserted him—that they’d gotten a taste for death and liked it, so they melted away into the darkest corners of Nevermoor.”

Lasting myths and folklore have a kernel of truth to them. The Free State builds on the mythology around the Wundersmith, turning his monsters into shadows and then death itself. This foreshadows the connection between Ezra Squall and the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow.

“Do you know what it is yet? […] Your knack. It must be a really good one. To get four bids.”

Hawthorne compares his and Morrigan’s knacks based on their number of bids. He assumes her four bids mean she has a better knack and thus, more worth than him. Being young, neither understands that what makes a person worthy is how they use their skills.

“The red and green sections of the crowd merged in a flurry of movement. Nick and Yule supporters swapped items of clothing—a crimson mitten for a sage scarf, a fuchsia flower for an emerald beanie—until nobody was discernible as supporting one or the other.”

Old Saint Nick and the Yule Queen’s truce signifies humankind’s need to come together. Instead of focusing on combative differences, Townsend encourages people to learn from each other until these differences no longer matter.

“Morrigan loved the Hotel Deucalion, but no matter how many rooms and hallways and floors it had, it would never be big enough to contain her growing dread of the show trial.”

Though Morrigan completes three of the four Wundrous Trials—demonstrating the three traits of honesty, ambition, and courage—she still does not fully trust the people around her. She needs to accept the world is not her responsibility, that things can happen without her taking blame.

“Your body remains safely in Nevermoor while your consciousness travels the Republic undetected.”

Jupiter’s explanation of traveling via the Gossamer Line foreshadows the revelation of Mr. Jones’s (Ezra Squall’s) constant movement. Squall, the Wundersmith, is prohibited from entering Nevermoor, but circumvents the mandate by using the Gossamer Line to travel spiritually.

“That settles it, then. […] He’ll be here for your trial. He’ll take care of it. Everything will be all right.”

Morrigan wants to trust Jupiter, but his secretive nature makes this difficult. Despite this, Fen trusts her employer Jupiter and believes he will honor his promise to take care of Morrigan’s Show Trial.

“Morrigan was speechless. It was Cadence who’d gotten her through to the Fright Trial. She’d snatched away Morrigan’s spot and then given it back to her—just like that. Why? Did she feel guilty?”

Cadence Blackburn is a morally gray character—neither good nor bad. Though she has her own motive, she helps Morrigan, unlike Ezra Squall who only wants to help Morrigan for his own gain.

“Jupiter had told her all those months ago that she wasn’t cursed, that she’d never been cursed. Had that been a lie, too?”

Though Morrigan passes the final trial—the trial that symbolizes her trusting Jupiter—she still doubts his honesty. This doubt allows Ezra Squall to take advantage of her, to take her to the Gossamer Line to convince her to be his Wundersmith apprentice.

“She held tight to her black umbrella, clutching it as if it might somehow anchor her to the ground.”

Morrigan clings to her brolly umbrella in a symbolic display of clinging to her friends. The Hunt of Smoke and Shadow kidnaps her and takes her from the people she trusts most—thus, by clinging to her umbrella, she trusts her bonds to protect her.

“The oilskin umbrella tumbled from her hands. They spiraled around and around her, binding her in black ropes of shadow and smoke, pushing and pulling her deep into the blinding golden light of the Gossamer train.”

Morrigan does not choose to leave her brolly umbrella behind, but this moment brings her arc full circle. The umbrella stays behind because her true bonds remain grounded in Nevermoor. However, it is up to her to remain true to these bonds, even in the face of Ezra Squall’s promise of greatness.