Our Shared Shelf discussion

Looks like a good number of us saw that this book is about power struggles.

But what are some of the themes Alderman uses to convey this?
Additionally, what symbols does she use to add to these ideas?

My favorite symbol so far has been the Hand. This symbol appears a few times throughout the novel

- Repurposing old to fit the new.. Eve repurposes the Hand of Fatima as a symbol for her new religious group and followers begun to tattoo it on their palms. The repackaging of this symbol has been Eve's deal through out. She talks in broad terms and let's her followers fill in th details. (As most cult leaders do). As well as saying all is one. That Kali/Tara/Miriam/Fatima God/Allah/Buddha all are repacked to fit her needs.

- Hand with 5 Fingers. The Hand of Fatima, usually represents the five pillars of Islam. But in the book this can be construed as representing the 5 main protagonists and their journey. Margot, Roxy, Eve, Tunde, and Jos

- Open Hand= branching power. The fingers are splayed, meaning that the hand is not creating a fist (unity, together). This repeats the idea that the power branches out. It is not contained in a single line but "branching and rebranching, spreading wider in ever thinner, searching fingers".

LGBTQ themes.

Am I the only one who thought that Ryan, Jos's boyfriend, might be a sign that Naomi was saying he might not be entirely cis /straight?

Pam wrote: "LGBTQ themes.

Am I the only one who thought that Ryan, Jos's boyfriend, might be a sign that Naomi was saying he might not be entirely cis /straight?"

I related this more to an idea that he might not be entirely "male," representing more of the transgendered community. There have been studies that look at hormonal balances as well as brain activity in males that identify as male, females that identify as female, males that identify as female and females that identify as male. There's a lot of connection between transgendered and hormonal balances in the body as well as the areas of the brain that are most active. (Unfortunately, I learned about these studies in a psychology course I took early in my college career and no longer can recall the sources).

Pam wrote: "LGBTQ themes.

Am I the only one who thought that Ryan, Jos's boyfriend, might be a sign that Naomi was saying he might not be entirely cis /straight?"

I thought that Ryan was intersex. In my mind this made more sense than Ryan being transgender.

Emma wrote: "I also liked how the electricity was a symbol for female empowerment."

Can you expand on that Emma? Or others. And let me know what you think about these quotes

"She cuppeth the power in her hand. She commandeth it to strike"
And
" And can you call back the lightening? Or does it return to your hand?"

Just wanted to say that I have just reached the point where Ryan is introduced in the book and I was scratching my head too, as it was clear to me that this was a veiled yet undeniable reference to the character being somewhere in the gray area of the gender spectrum (if that's a valid term? Bear with me and please correct me if necessary, haha?)

I'm curious. Why intersex rather than transgender? :)

Pam wrote: "LGBTQ themes.

Am I the only one who thought that Ryan, Jos's boyfriend, might be a sign that Naomi was saying he might not be entirely cis /straight?"

At first, when he e-mailed Jos, he talked about Gender identity. So that is a possiblity. Especially since Jos said she liked that he was a bit feminine.

I took that as a foreshadowing that The Power doesn't rest solely on females, but it's more common for them. Genetics doesn't always get it right. So when Darrel wound up with the Power, it was possible. I wish she would have gone more into that.

I first thought the gray fox (or was it a wolf? I don't have the book in front of me) that originally followed Allie was a symbol for her eventually being a leader.

And of course, let's not forget the Eel.

I also thought perhaps Jos was somewhere on the LGBTQ2 / non gender conforming spectrum.
Her storyline about her power not being as strong as the other women's and sometimes dissapearing entirely (implying she was less feminine?) and how she was repeatedly described as not being normal and was taken to places to try to "cure her" really struck me.

I also found it interesting that when Margot talked about her She referred to her as Jocelyn, a more feminine name and when it was Jos telling her own story she went by Jos. It reminded me of a trans persons struggle to be called by the name and pronoun of their choosing and their parent just not getting it.

Dalea wrote: "I also thought perhaps Jos was somewhere on the LGBTQ2 / non gender conforming spectrum.
Her storyline about her power not being as strong as the other women's and sometimes dissapearing entirely (..."

Well if the power is an LGBT issue, wasn't there a page where the author wrote that Jos really liked girls? She never really talked much about that and that was the only instance where it said that. Maybe Jos was closeted if that were the case.

Jos was my favorite character given how fascinating her journey was and how she experienced life as the odd girl out.

And thanks Dalea. I didn't think of that before.

@ Griselda. Ooh I like that. If Ali was the Eel, what would you have the other protagonists as?

Pam wrote: "Jos was my favorite character given how fascinating her journey was and how she experienced life as the odd girl out.

And thanks Dalea. I didn't think of that before.

@ Griselda. Ooh I like tha..."

I would argue that the other protagonist are different creatures. Tunde is more of a chameleon. He was fearful at first and hid the truth. Then when he became a reporter, he blended in until it was nearly impossible to hide. But notice how he picked trees :)
Roxy is an animal tamer who tried to keep the leopard as a pet.
Not sure what Margot would be.

Mother Eve is the recurring theme of the book. Need for faith, so to speak. A messiah.

Ownership and the fluidity of intellectual ideas. [spoiler] Tunde's book being stolen really needled me, in much the same way that a person might feel who is more emotionally attached to a dog's death than a human's in film. He was just so talented, brilliant, creative, and intrepid to a fault, that I grew attached to his brave indifference to his own dangers. He worked so hard for all that he had obtained and learned through his reports and images, that it distanced him from the experience and from real living. Reminds me of the clichéd idea of people rushing through life without enjoying the journey, but also the idea of disconnecting yourself from the work and enjoying the process instead.

Pam wrote: "My favorite symbol so far has been the Hand. This symbol appears a few times throughout the novel

- Repurposing old to fit the new.. Eve repurposes the Hand of Fatima as a symbol for her new relig..."

I had not realized that the five fingers represented the five main characters! What an interesting insight :)