Irony of Mrs. O’Keefe
Mrs. O’Keefe is a distant old lady, not holding much interest in affection, instead, she focuses on practicality. This is shown with the scene of Meg hugging her towards the end, and it being their first hug ever. Nevertheless, this novel reveals the reasoning behind Mrs. O’Keefe’s distance. Her brother, Chuck, was injured and later died because of the abuse suffered by their stepfather, and Mrs. O’Keefe learned from the young age the cruelty of the world and the importance of survival.
The first conflict between brothers
Madoc and Gwydyr from Wales belong to the first ones that reached the New World and made contact with Indians. While Madoc refused to be treated anything more than an equal by the community, Gwydyr arrives to the settlement as the new-crowned king, demanding to be treated as a divinity and demanding to take his brother’s bride, Zillie. It is this conflict that divides the world into evil and good, and awakens a battle that lasts for centuries-a brotherly conflict rooted in jealousy and greed.
The witch hunt
The witch hunt that takes place in the New World, generations after Madoc and Gwydyr, reminiscent of the Salem Witch Trials, is unexpectedly disturbing and realistic for a children’s fantasy novel. It shows the fast progression of insanity, influenced by a priest greedy for power, with no hope for saving. One day, Zillie is recovering from the birth of her child, and the next she is condemned to the gallows, accused of being a witch. It shows the rottenness of human nature, with all the villagers being perversely eager to watch the execution, refusing to listen to the voice of reason.
The plot twist
The unexpected plot twist is that the tyrannical ruler of Vespugia that threatens with nuclear war is a direct descendant of Madoc and Gwydyr’s bloodline. His name, Branzillo, is a combination of his parents’ names, Bran and Zillah. Charles goes withing Bran’s brother, Matthew, to prevent Bran, Matthew’s brother, from marrying Gwydyr’s descendant. He manages to urge Zillah, Madoc’s descendant, to go to Vespugia to marry him, thus preventing Branzillo to be born with Gwydyr’s greed and evil, and changing the course of history.
