The Obelisk Gate

Many of the chapter titles have dual meanings and can be interpreted in different ways. Choose two or three chapter titles and explore how these dual meanings reflect the themes and action of the corresponding chapters.

Schaffa spends most of his time in The Obelisk Gate trying to change who he is and make up for past mistakes. Does the novel suggest that it is possible for someone who has committed the atrocities he has to earn redemption? What evidence does the text provide to suggest that he is or isn’t on the right path?

Ykka is the opposite to Essun in many ways: She is “feral” rather than Fulcrum trained, she has lived in one comm her whole life, and she has the capacity to trust others. What role does Ykka play in Essun’s development as a character in The Obelisk Gate?

Coming-of-age stories traditionally follow an adolescent character as they transition from a state of childhood innocence or naiveté into the maturity of adulthood. They also often involve the character finding where they fit in the world or learning to understand the world in a new way. Argue whether Nassun’s character arc in The Obelisk Gate should be categorized as a coming-of-age story.

On multiple occasions Hoa admits that he has betrayed and used Essun and that he even plots her death. However, he also hopes that she will forgive him and ferociously protects her. Does this make him more or less reliable as a narrator? Explain.

After hearing Alabaster’s story about what he saw at Corepoint and witnessing the slivery “stuff” that exists in his arm and the obelisks, Essun is adamant that he tell her the word the obelisk-builders used for it. Explain why learning the word “magic” is so important to Essun. What role does language play in maintaining the Stillness’s status quo?

Everyone in the Stillness is necessarily preoccupied with the idea of survival. However, not everyone agrees on what survival should look like or what a world worth fighting to survive in looks like. Pick two or three characters and explore how they understand survival.

Jemisin was a counselor before becoming a full-time writer. Essun, Nassun, Schaffa, and Jija all experience some form (or forms) of trauma. Explore the different ways they each deal with their respective trauma. Does the text endorse the way some characters deal with their trauma more than others? Explain.