Shadowshaper

As Sierra gets closer to facing Wick, many instances occur that show the confusing overlap of body versus spirit. In Chapter 37, Juan fights a corpuscule that he recognizes as a fellow shadowshaper. Sierra reminds him: “You destroyed the body. His spirit’s long gone” (262). A corpuscule is a body that has been invaded by a foreign spirit, and Sierra recognizes the difference between body and spirit, noting that what we love about a person is comprised of their spirit, not their body. However, Sierra later has a similar experience that causes her to realize this connection is much more complex. In Chapter 40, Sierra must keep herself from screaming when she sees the spirit possessing Manny leave his body, and Manny’s “corpse” collapse “in a heap” (278). Though Sierra has long known that the Manny she knew her whole life has died, and another spirit has possessed his body, it is still difficult for her to see Manny’s body cast aside.

Older suggests the importance of a physical body to what makes up the essence of a person in two instances with Robbie in this section. In Chapter 38, Sierra is shaken to her core when she sees a demon chalk figure wearing Robbie’s face: “His mouth opened wide; his eyes were two empty sockets, surrounded by swirling chalk” (265). Sierra has dealt with many strange creatures by this point, but this one rattles her specifically because it has the same physical features as someone she loves. Seeing the features of someone loved and trusted become something frightening and dangerous is especially disconcerting. When Sierra finds Robbie in Chapter 39, she has a strong reaction when she sees his tattoos have faded like “ghosts of the glorious art that had once been there” (271). Nothing fundamental about Robbie’s personality or spirit have changed, but his tattoos are a part of who he is. By including these moments, the book subtly explores the connection between mind and body, and the classic debate of how much a person is shaped by each element.

The book also explores the misuse of this power through Wick, who has committed many atrocities throughout the novel. Sierra has long suspected that Wick is abusing his powers, but she sees this in action in Chapter 39 when Wick uses the powers given to him by the Sorrows to “hold spirits even against their will” (275). Sierra has been taught to use her powers in cooperation with the spirits, allowing them access to another physical form through her art. The spirits protect Sierra because she in turn looks after them. Wick, on the other hand, uses the spirits to his own gain, not caring what the spirits want: “They reached out desperately, trying to wrench themselves away from him, but it was no use” (275). Sierra sees the anguish of the spirits, calling it an “enslavement” (275). This moment shows Wick’s lack of respect for the powers he has been given, as well as the cultural traditions from which he has shamelessly stolen. Wick represents a long history of white oppression, in which imperial nations colonized non-white people, forcing them to work against their will, often as slaves. Just as Wick uses these spirits to add to his own power, regardless of the will of the spirits, these imperial nations exploited these colonized people to build up their own wealth, trade, and status.