Iron Widow

Critics often note the lack of relationships that Wu Zetian has with other women. Do you think this complicates the main themes of the novel in a productive way, or does it distract from the main themes?

How does the revelation that Huaxia is a colony terrorizing the Indigenous Hunduns complicate Huaxia’s gender politics? (Think back to Gao Qiu’s statement on the roles of women.) What purpose does the subjugation of women have in this colonizing society?

What is the significance of the pilots dissolving into clouds of butterflies when they push their Chrysalis into its Heroic Form? How does this dissolution complicate the rigid ideas of gender presented by the piloting system?

What is the significance of Zetian’s status as an anti-hero in the gender-dystopia setting of Huaxia? How would the novel’s themes and ideas change if Zetian were a traditional hero whose goals aligned more closely with stereotypical ideas of embodying “good”?

Consider the different approaches to the patriarchy that are embodied by Qieluo and Xiuying. How might the story itself and Zetian’s outlook change if Qieluo had betrayed her instead of Xiuying? How might Zetian’s opinion on Xiuying’s ideas versus Qieluo’s change based on who betrayed her?

How does the relationship between the Huaxians and Rongdi reinforce Huaxia’s status as a colonial nation? What similarities are there between the Rongdi and the Hunduns from the viewpoint of the Huaxians, and how does this further Huaxia’s mission as a resource-extracting colony?

Zetian frequently laments existing in her own body after experiencing life as a Chrysalis. How does the Chrysalis function as a metaphor for bodily autonomy for Zetian as a woman with a disability?

Media coverage and celebrity status is an important aspect of the life of a Huaxian pilot. How does Zetian manipulate the media to ensure her personal safety and outmaneuver the government’s machinations? What is the role of the media in furthering the colonizing mission of Huaxia?