Discrimination Theme in Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Essay Example

Discrimination is everywhere, in every corner of the world. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a book from the perspective of Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl, who lives in a society where people are discriminated against the color of their blood: Silvers are born with powers and Reds are the commoners. Mare finds out that she has powers and joins a rebellion to end the inequality between Reds and Silvers. Mare’s point of view affects the way the reader sees the significant conflicts by making the punished seem innocent, seeing Silvers as evil, and making the reader perceive the rebellion’s actions as smart.

When a Red is being punished, Mare always thinks about how Reds are innocent and misunderstood. But many times those Reds deserve that punishment. “For all we know, this might be the end of our game. Elara will come back and shatter their brains, picking through the wreckage to discover how deep their plot goes.” (Aveyard 248). These Red people almost killed 25 people, proving that Silvers are not always the cruel ones. But Mare still thinks that Reds do not deserve to be treated harshly. Thus, showing how Mare is being biased towards the Reds.

In addition, Mare explains how Silvers are cruel in many different ways. She describes Silvers as being self-centered and demanding self-deification. “The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.” (Aveyard 11). Even though Silvers consider themselves a god, they are not very godly. But there are also characters like Cal and Julian, who helped Mare multiple times, yet she still sees them as evil and cruel. 

Lastly, Mare’s point of view makes the Rebellion seem ethical. The rebellion has a lot of blood on its hands, but when Mare talks about the rebellion, she talks about how the rebellion is the right thing at the right time in her kingdom. But the rebellion almost killed 25 people, and Mare just turns a blind eye. “All over the room, four people take their last breaths. I let my heart count out those last seconds, beating away the moments.” (Aveyard 240). She continues to fight and kill people while knowing the terrible deeds the rebellion is committing.

In conclusion, it is quite obvious that Mare is biased towards Reds. Since the book is in her point of view, major events are biased by making the reader see the Reds as innocent, Silvers as Cruel, and the Rebellion as the best thing that ever happened to the Kingdom. The reader can clearly see that Discrimination is everywhere, it is in everyone, even in the main character.