Essay Questions

How do the attacks on the Downworlders act as an allegory real-world attacks on marginalized groups?

The Downworlders have long been ignored and abused by the Clave: historically, Shadowhunters would hunt Downworlders for sport, and in the modern day Shadowhunter world they’re discriminated against and hardly protected by the law. Because of this, they’re an easy target for Valentine, because he knows that he can attack large numbers of them without the Clave taking quick action. This is exactly what happens. It takes several murders before the Clave begins to seriously look into what is causing them, which surely would not have happened if the murder victims had been Shadowhunters. Just like the real world attack of marginalized people, law enforcement steps in only when the problem becomes too enormous to ignore, at which point people are already dead.

How does Magnus Bane represent someone who is untouched by the Clave?

Magnus is completely unafraid to to be who he is. He’s unapologetically bisexual, dresses eccentrically, and makes his disapproval of the Clave’s actions known. He criticizes their laws when talking to the main Shadowhunter characters, either trusting that they won’t report him or not caring if they do, and is free in his sexuality in a way that the Clave condemns. Furthermore, he shows little interest in the war with Valentine, and helps Clary and her friends only out of his own personal interest: he gets paid for his services and gets to spend time with Alec, his love interest. Because he’s able to go against the Clave’s expectations and act of his own accord, even after centuries of living with their oppressive politics, he presents himself as being untouched by the Clave.

A number of families, both biological and adoptive, are shown in City of Ashes. How does the novel redefine what it means to be a family?

Valentine is Clary’s biological father, the two could not be more different, and she actively works to distance herself from him. She refers to Luke as her father because he’s the one who helped her mother raise her, and acted as a supportive figure when she needed it. Although they have no biological relation, there’s no question of his fatherly relationship with her, thus redefining what it means to be a father. Furthermore, after Jace was abandoned by Valentine, the Lightwoods took him in and raised him as a son. Although they try to distance themselves from him after learning his true identity, Maryse eventually relents and welcomes him, grudgingly, back into the family. He continues using the Lightwood last name and refers to Alec, Isabelle and Max as his siblings, solidifying adoptive families as legitimate families.