Amari and the Night Brothers

As a Black girl from the projects, Amari faces prejudice daily. The novel opens with a scene that starkly depicts the various prejudices that she is subject to, as she finds herself in the principal’s office for shoving a girl who had continually been harassing her. Amari’s peers frequently disparage her for her status as a Black scholarship student. They bully her with little to no consequences, while Amari is punished when she’s finally had enough. Prejudice follows Amari into the supernatural world when she is identified as a magician, and she is ostracized and bullied at the Bureau in much the same way she was at school.

Throughout the novel, Amari encounters many kinds of prejudice. Some are instances of outright hatred, like the bullies from Jefferson Academy, Lara and her friends, and Director Van Helsing. Lara openly calls Amari “ghetto” (316), and at the Welcome Social, Amari finds herself greeted with disdain when her fellow trainees learn that she does not come from wealthy families like they do. Additionally, in the supernatural world, anti-magician prejudice has developed such that people assume that possessing magic makes one evil due to the actions of the Night Brothers. As a magician, Amari faces this form of prejudice as well. When Agent Magnus warns Amari that she’ll be up against hostile attitudes because of her magic, it's the one thing Amari feels that she can handle because she already fights it in her regular life (101).

The author uses these instances of stereotyping and othering to communicate a message about how privilege and prejudice impact individuals. Amari’s experiences in the supernatural world parallel her experiences in her ordinary world and emphasize the unfairness of stereotypes. Amari’s struggles to show people her inherent goodness as a magician are no different than her struggles against those who judge her based on her background in the real world. While Amari does eventually triumph and her story ends on a hopeful note, she endures a lot of cruelty and harm along the way. Through this, the author communicates the harm of othering people and emphasizes the need for treating others fairly.

Amari also encounters other characters who are wary of her simply because they’ve never been taught anything but the evil of magicians. During the second Junior Agent tryout, Amari’s chaperone comments that she always thought magicians were bad, but Amari’s use of illusions to safely accomplish a task has shown her that magicians can be “smiling, good-natured” people just like anyone else. This demonstrates that much of the anti-magician sentiment is not motivated by hate, but ignorance. Amari’s supernatural ability demonstration in Chapter 28 reinforces this idea. She is greeted with openness and curiosity when she uses her illusions to show the audience the beauty her magic can create, and the truth of who she is. Afterwards, Amari realizes that she “[changed] minds by simply not shutting [herself] off” (387). This realization reflects the importance of approaching the unknown with an accepting, open mind, as well as the hope that, if given the opportunity, even those raised in prejudice can be taught to understand those different from them. This is an allegorical lesson regarding prejudice in the real world, as is common middle-grade fiction novels.

Amari is not always kind and patient. When Moreau offers her power in Chapter 15, Amari is tempted as she imagines using power to punish her bullies: “As much as I hate to admit it, a part of me likes that idea” (166). However, she quickly rejects Moreau’s offer and affirms that she’s on the Bureau’s side. This scene parallels the novel’s climax, as Amari refuses to join Dylan and Moreau in their quest to subjugate the non-magician population. There, Amari understands their temptation towards domination. She recalls that when she pushed that girl in Chapter 1, she felt “totally justified” (387). But she also remembers the positive reaction to her demonstration, which convinces her that if people give each other a chance, they can learn to look beyond their apparent differences. Despite her sympathy for Dylan and Moreau, and despite the fact that Amari has dealt with prejudice too, it does not overrule her compassion for others or her belief that the supernatural world’s attitude towards magicians can be changed.

Amari and Dylan represent the different ways one can react to prejudice. Their relationship, particularly Amari’s thoughts and feelings in their interactions, communicates the power of self-expression and understanding in dispelling stereotypes. Dylan wants to punish those who have hurt magicians like himself, his sister, and Amari. His father is staunchly against magicians, and it is likely that Dylan grew up hearing Director Van Helsing’s prejudiced rhetoric; Lara’s harassment of Amari reflects this as well. While keeping his magic hidden spared Dylan from the treatment Amari suffers, it also means that Dylan felt he could not be his true self. The fact that he was drawn in by the temptation of revenge and justice for magicians, rather than personal power, speaks to Dylan’s character; the way he clings to his bond with Amari is another reflection of the way prejudice has isolated him. Amari shares his grief and does not dismiss his pain and anger; the difference is that she can’t bear the thought of hurting others. She resists the temptation to do so and stands up to Dylan even in the face of his cutting betrayal. Amari consistently chooses compassion and fairness, reinforcing the importance of having hope that opening lines of communication are more effective in combatting prejudice than choosing reciprocated hate.