Skyward

“Claim the stars, Spensa.”

Zeen’s statement stands at the heart of Spensa’s deep drive to prove herself a hero and contribute to humanity’s fight for survival. Spensa’s father gives this encouragement to Spensa, who feels out of place among their people, and his words stay with her into adulthood, when all she dreams of is taking to the stars. His philosophy becomes a reminder to pursue grander goals than the rest of their people have even dreamed of.

“I thought…just for a moment…that I heard something out there. My imagination perhaps? A distant, pure sound…”

This passage marks the novel’s first reference to Spensa’s mysterious abilities, which her culture brands as a “defect.” She initially dismisses the experience as a figment of her imagination, but as the narrative will eventually reveal, she truly does hear the stars, and her innate abilities also allow her to hear the Krells’ telepathic communications. Sanderson also suggests that she too will eventually be able to navigate the stars as her forebears once did.

“It was just that…it had felt nice. To be able to make my own way, without standing in anyone’s shadow.”

Suffused with regret in this moment after Jorgen reveals Spensa’s heritage to her classmates, she realizes that she has enjoyed making a new name for herself rather than enduring the shame of her father’s legacy. Her feelings also foreshadow the fact that she will eventually overcome this social stigma and forge her own unique reputation on a broader scale during the final battle in the novel.

“[P]uffy eyes and all, Kimmalyn raised her chin. […] she strode over—a model of Defiant poise—and sat down. In that moment, she seemed more like a warrior than I’d ever been.”

This moment marks the first concrete example that Spensa encounters of the true definition of bravery, for Kimmalyn overcomes her fear and grief and continues training to become a pilot regardless of her own misgivings. However, although Spensa notices and honors her friend’s bravery, it will be some time before she can appreciate similar actions in herself and see them as bravery rather than cowardice.

“Hearing him talk this way was discomforting, unnatural. Like a parent suddenly admitting they didn’t know what love felt like. […] In that moment, though, I saw the man, not the instructor. That man was afraid and distraught—and as pained to lose students as we were to lose friends. He wasn’t some grizzled veteran with all the answers.”

In this passage, Spensa must struggle with seeing an authority figure express fear and helplessness. Cobb’s struggle with his own grief frightens her because she does not yet know how to handle her own, and her cognitive dissonance between her image of her instructor and the very human reality before her shakes her to her core. With this scene, Sanderson illustrates the inevitable moments of disillusionment that often underpin coming-of-age.

“‘What really happened up there, Cobb?’ I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘Why do they think they can tell I’ll do the same, just by monitoring my brain? What aren’t you telling me?’”

In this scene, Spensa finally suspects that she is a pawn in a larger game, and she begins to question many of the assumptions by which she has always lived. The admiral has joined with certain factions of the Defiants who want to prove the existence of the “defect,” and they are using Spensa to seek that proof. As the novel progresses, Spensa grows more and more willing to question her long-held assumptions and discover the hidden secrets that lurk beneath the surface of her world.

“And in that moment, I knew that his nonanswer was an answer. He’d given me the official story. And it was a lie.”

This is a vital moment in Spensa’s journey to discover the truth, for Cobb’s reaction to her questions reveals that the DDF is hiding something about her father’s death. The staccato sentences in this passage suggest the fury, shock, and determination roiling inside her as she resolves to discover the truth.

“‘That’s a risk we all live with, M-Bot,’ I said. ‘We can’t know everything—and some of what we think we know is going to turn out to be false.’”

Just prior to this moment, M-Bot has expressed fear due to his discovery of the concept of lying. Because he can only make logical actions if he has accurate data, he worries that he will not be able to discern whether people are lying to him. As a being composed of logic and data, the prospect of incorporating false data becomes an existential concern. Sanderson also uses the worries of this sentient machine to indicate that the tension between truths and lies is just as vital an issue for biological organisms such as humans.

“‘I spent my childhood dreaming of the days when I could fly and flight. Now that I’m here, and I’ve lost friends, I…It hurts. I’m weaker than I thought I was.’ […]

‘You’re not crazy, Spin. You’re a person.’”

This moment features Spensa’s first step toward trusting her friends and leaning on their support. For the first time, she attempts to express her own inner fears and seek validation for her feelings, and their response of immediate reassurance helps her to learn that fear is a natural emotion. However, it will take some time for Spensa to understand that fear is not the equivalent of cowardice.

“Not cowards. No backing down. Brave until the end, right Spin? A pact.”

As Hurl makes this pact with Spensa, her words contribute to Spensa’s ongoing struggle over Discerning the Difference Between Cowardice and Heroism. The moment also foreshadows Hurl’s death, for her vow makes it clear that her refusal to be seen as a coward supersedes even the natural urge toward self-preservation.

“He [Jorgen] looked so vulnerable. So human. Losing Bim and Morningtide had been hard on me. I’d never thought about how it had been for their flightleader—the one who was supposed to keep us all out of trouble.”

This is the moment in which Spensa lets go of some of her resentment toward Jorgen and starts to see him differently. The cadets’ mutual grief over the loss of their comrades allows Spensa to humanize Jorgen in her own mind and realize that despite his privileged position in Defiant society, he is just as upset by the loss of their friends as she is. She finally recognizes their common connections, and this moment of understanding becomes the foundation of their friendship.

“She couldn’t kick me out. Not because she lacked the power but because…she needed me to prove that she was right. […] In that moment, I was more powerful than the very admiral in command of the Defiant Defense Force.”

The emphatic yet astonished tone of Spensa’s inner thoughts is designed to explain the complexities and ambiguities of Admiral Ironsides’s behavior over the course of the novel. In this moment, Spensa realizes her own power and gains a temporary boost of confidence that allows her to keep fighting.

“‘Become someone new then.’

‘Do you have any idea how hard that is?’”

This exchange occurs just after M-Bot admits his fear; with his pilot gone, he feels that he has no purpose, and he therefore clings to his final orders even though they are now moot. Ironically, Spensa’s suggestion that M-Bot become someone new also foreshadows her own transformation as she struggles to forge her own reputation.

“That didn’t stop the emotions. The hole inside, the pain of a wound rubbed raw. After this, nothing could ever be the same. Yesterday hadn’t just marked the death of a friend. It marked the death of my ability to pretend this war was—in any way—glorious.”

In this passage, Spensa realizes just how dire the war really is, and she struggles to retain her childhood views of the war as a glorious thing. Her sudden epiphany, however much pain it causes her, is an important step in her journey of self-discovery, for she eventually learns to accept who she is and to perceive the full truth of the war.

“But when you fly, Spin, you fly as part of a team—and you keep my people safe […] So long as you fly like you did yesterday, protecting the others, I want you on my team.”

Jorgen’s words provide another bolster for Spensa’s self-esteem as she struggles with her fears and the knowledge of her father’s betrayal in the Battle of Alta. Jorgen heals many of their past misunderstandings when he insists upon seeing her value and stands by her despite the perceived risk from the defect.

“[B]y this light […] his face didn’t seem quite as punchable as it always had before. Maybe because I could read the emotions behind that mask of authoritarian perfection.”

The whimsical tone of Spensa’s musings, particularly in the word “punchable,” creates a humorous contrast with the fact that this moment marks an important deepening of her friendship with Jorgen. He has offered her support and encouragement, and they have bonded over their grief and Hurl’s burial; as a result, she finally sees him as more than just an arrogant, posturing rich boy.

“‘You fix it, then,’ he said. ‘You fix it, and you fly. You find a way, and you defy them. For those of us who don’t have the courage.’”

Jorgen pointedly refrains from reporting Spensa’s illegal secret—M-Bot—and he also offers his overt support. His passionate words reveal his own emotional struggles and reflect the fact that he feels trapped by his own family’s stifling expectations. He therefore encourages Spensa not to allow herself to be trapped. His encouragement is captured in the repeated use of the second person, as he directly addresses Spensa’s capacity for action.

“Without proper information, I cannot judge my future actions. My ability to interface with the world, and to be efficient, is lessened. […] I am broken, and do not know how to fulfill my purpose.”

M-Bot’s once again shares his fear of not knowing how to behave without proper data. The words trigger Spensa’s determination to discover the truth about her father because she feels that, just like the AI, she also needs accurate data to realize her full purpose and chart a path into the future.

“It is clear to me now that if I let you keep taking me into the sky, you will not be able to avoid battle. It is your nature.”

The implacable tone of M-Bot’s words emphasize his decision to shut down to avoid being driven into battle. This action is based on his outdated logic and loyalty to a long-dead pilot, just as Spensa’s misguided beliefs of cowardice are based upon outdated and illogical assumptions of what true heroism really is. His shut-down also feels like another abandonment to Spensa; she sees it as yet another death in the long line of deaths that she is struggling to accept.

“My entire world was crumbling around me. And I struggled to hold on to it, clinging to something I’d once been able to rely upon—my confidence. I wanted so badly to be who I had been, the girl who could at least pretend to take it all in stride.”

Spensa’s despairing tone in this passage highlights the fact that she does not know how to move past the grief of losing her friends, nor can she find a viable way to accept the shattering knowledge of her father’s true actions in the Battle of Alta. Sanderson follows the first sentence with a sentence beginning with the connector, “[a]nd,” to reflect Spensa’s sense of the world “crumbling,” since the sentences are stopped in the wrong places and not linked correctly with a comma.

“Go, a piece of me insisted. Go talk to him, to someone. Stop being afraid.”

This is a vital step for Spensa as she contemplates talking to Jorgen about her fears. She feels alone and cannot decide what her course of action should be, and she is worried that she might hurt people if she keeps flying while exhibiting symptoms of the defect. Asking for help is her first step toward healing, and it also stands as an example of Building Trust in High-Stress Situations.

“‘I don’t care about the past,’ Jorgen said, meeting my eyes. ‘I don’t care if there’s a risk. I want you to fly with us—because I’m damn sure that we’re safer with you at our side than not. Mythical defect or not. I’ll take the chance. […] You can’t base decisions about your future on something we don’t understand.’”

Jorgen’s support of Spensa plays a major role in her journey to heal her inner wounds and regain a sense of her own self-worth. He acknowledges and celebrates her value as a friend and a team member, and he offers her friendship rather than the rebuffs that she expects from people like the admiral.

“We must not cower in the dark because we’re afraid of the spark within us. The answer is not to put out the spark, but to learn to control it.”

These are Gran-Gran’s words when Spensa visits her and expresses her frustrations with the struggle of Discerning the Difference Between Cowardice and Heroism. Gran-Gran’s story about her own mother provides vital information that later helps Spensa to realize that her “defect” can actually be used for constructive purposes.