the mark quotes and themes

• Corruption

  A major theme in the novel, with evidence of corruption at all levels of society - from the elite Maenge Aryans to the traders
• Examples of corruption


  • Maenge Aryan voting system - public given 20 votes but 20 candidates so no one gets more votes
  • Locusts burning section PT to reduce population
  • Maenge Aryan officials withholding welfare credits from orphan woman in exchange for silence
  • Locust warden instructed to get rid of prisoners during riot instead of bringing them to justice
  • Maenge Aryans conducting unethical human experiments on prisoners and children
  • Orphan warden feeding bug juice to orphans and selling them to Maenge Aryans
  • Traders stealing from each other
• Appearance vs Reality

  Things are not as they appear to be - the Maenge Aryans appear just and fair but are corrupt, characters deceive each other and wear masks
• Examples of appearance vs reality

  • Maenge Aryan voting process appears democratic but is rigged
  • Larissa kept alive despite being sickly, when others would be dumped
  • Prisoners appear to be sent to Savage City but are actually experimented on
  • Characters like Handler, Azaria, and Ettie wear different masks to deceive others
  • Ettie initially appears harsh and cold but is actually kind and caring
  • Kitty initially appears shallow and selfish but is revealed to be brave and self-sacrificing
• Character Development


  Key characters like Ettie and Kitty undergo significant changes and role reversals as the novel progresses
• Examples of character development

  • Ettie becomes more vulnerable and open, while Kitty becomes brave and self-sacrificing
  • Ettie starts off as harsh, knowledgeable and wearing masks, but becomes honest and caring
  • Kitty starts off as carefree and naive, but becomes strong, brave and hides her true feelings
  • Ettie's priorities shift from rebelling and running away to becoming Lyricist's chosen Kara
  • Kitty's priorities shift from enjoying life as a pleasure worker to fighting against the authorities
• Maenge Aryans


  The families that took control of the earth after it was destroyed by the conflagration, they rebuilt society and put themselves in charge
• Maenge Aryans


  • They are the government, the people in power
  • They live in the pleasant Maenge area city with good living conditions
  • They don't take part in the faith mate festival
  • They decide whom their children marry amongst themselves to keep power within their families
  • Marriages are only for political reasons, not for love
  • They decide who will be guardians of certain departments
  • The voting process is a sham to fool the public
• Posh


  The rich upper-class members of society, just below the Maenge Aryans in the hierarchy
• Posh


  • They are privileged and feel entitled
  • They treat the traders as if they were trash
  • They are taught to read from a young age
• Traders


  The lower-class people at the bottom of the hierarchy, allocated trades (jobs) by the machine
• Traders


  • They live in slum City with horrendous living conditions
  • They serve the Posh and Maenge Aryans, essentially as slaves
  • They are treated accordingly
• Credits


  The currency used in the novel, like rands in South Africa or US dollars
• Savage City


  A prison where prisoners are tortured and forced to work in extreme conditions until they die
• Kitty's parents were sent to Savage City, where they were thrown into holes in the ground in the extreme sun and left to die, eventually eaten by rats
• Laboratory


  Where food is manufactured through genetic modification, but also where human experiments are conducted on prisoners from Savage City and orphans (the "smalls")
• Laboratory


  • Master Houghton is in charge, he conducts the human experiments to find a cure for his daughter Larissa's illness
• Building of Population Control

  The red building where all personal information on individuals is stored
• Building of Justice and Peace


  The green building where the machine is kept and where the locust (law enforcement) are stationed, also where prisoners are sentenced to Savage City
• Parliament Building


  The small government building where the 20 Maenge Aryan families pass laws that affect the public
• The Machine


  • Assigns a number/mark to newborns
  • Determines one's trade/career
  • Allocates one's future fate mate
  • Decides whom the traders and Posh will marry
  • Constantly tracks citizens' whereabouts
  • Is solar-powered and automatic, but switches to manual when the sun is hidden
• Tellers


  Hardy does birds that are blinded by witches, enhancing their ability to tell the future
• Bug Juice


  A fermented alcoholic drink made from fruit, with dead flies at the bottom
• Fate Mate Festival


  A twice-yearly festival where 16-year-olds are assigned a fate mate and forced to marry
• Fate Mate Festival


  • Couples are forced to vow to work royally for the state of Maengeria and breed healthy children, which is impossible to control
• Smalls


  Orphans under the age of 5, experimented on in the laboratory
• Bigs


  Orphans over the age of 5, who go to trade school on their 5th birthday and begin working their assigned trade at age 15