Names and their meanings can help offer insight into characters and their personalities as well as the author's thought process when they were creating said characters. Rene Hasard's name has a special meaning. Rene comes from the latin Renatus, meaning "born again" and Hasard is French for "chance or fate". It can't be a simple coincidence that Rene's last name has to do not only with a central theme in the book but also the very thing that his cousin LeBlanc worships as a deity. Hammond's name comes from Old Norse meaning "high protection" or "home protection". Throughout the book, Spear's only goal is to protect Sophia and her family, although what he would consider protection others might consider overbearing and clingy. The name Sophia means wisdom in Greek. Sophia does indeed show wisdom beyond her years as she is willing to sacrifice herself and put herself in danger to save others.
The Rook Feather is a symbol that appears throughout the book. A popular legend that residents of the Sunken City tell their children is that of the Rook, who led the people of Paris to safety in the Catacombs during the Great Death. The Rook is a divine saint that took the form of a streak of light. The vigilante known as the Red Rook leaves a feather tipped with red paint at the site of his or her rescue missions in The Tombs. The rook feathers are a symbol of hope to the people of Paris and are also a symbol of rebellion. "Do you know rooks, Gerard? Survivors of the the Time Before, a symbol of those who have lived and overcome... Surely you were told that story as a child? We all were" ( Cameron 6) Although Rook takes place in the future, its society and culture are very similar to that of the 18th century in France, particularly of the time in which the French Revolution occurred. The high-class women wear corsets, large elaborate dresses, and wigs. Men also wear wigs along with breeches and have long hair tied back in ponytails. This is a similar form of dress to aristocrats in 18th century France. In The Sunken City, that was once called Paris, the tensions between the high-class Upper City and the poorer Lower city mimic those between the extremely rich Aristocracy and the common people during the French Revolution. There is also a weapon called, "The Razor" that is eerily similar to the guillotine and is used in a similar fashion.
There is not a traditional love triangle in Rook. Although both Rene and Spear are in love with Sophia, Sophia does not reciprocate Spear's feelings, seeing him as a brother. Spear does not understand Sophia's feelings; He still believes that if Rene was lost, Sophia would turn to him and love him. Spear makes himself an indirect antagonist when he knowingly endangers Sophia's life. In the end, he achieves a form of redemption. This "Love Triangle" is full of many twists and turns, betrayals and changes of hearts. Sophia felt her mouth open slightly. "Do you really think..." She breathed, searching for her words. "Do you really think that because I have been betrayed, been a fool, been the biggest arse the Bellamy family has ever seen, that because of all that I'm going to suddenly fall into your arms?" Fate is a major symbol in Rook. It, accompanied by the colors black and white, appears throughout the book.The main antagonist in the book, LeBlanc, worships fate as a goddess and consults Her before he makes important decisions. He believes that it is fate that wants him to rule Paris and the region of Allemande. Fate, although at first a seemingly unimportant thing, becomes a major part of many of the life-or-death situations towards the second half of Rook.The flipping of a coin, an act that "invokes the Goddess", is another form in which fate appears throughout the book. The symbol of fate explores the idea of the human preoccupation with destiny and the idea of living in a society like the one in Rook where everything hinges on 50/50 odds.
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