The City Jilt Themes

The City Jilt Themes

Privilege versus victimhood

This novel focuses a great deal on this first theme, that people who have been spoiled by their privilege may not understand correctly that life is challenging, unfair, and that life can be extremely difficult. Glicera is a young woman who has been spoiled by her rich daddy, so when her father dies and leaves her with nothing, she plays the victim role, even though she did nothing to earn her father's money. She still feels entitled to it. This sense of entitlement is not real victimhood—it's spoiled narcissism.

Anger and violence

Glicera has a servant named Laphelia who is kind of a sleazy person too. Laphelia is sleazy because she agrees with Glicera no matter what Glicera says or does, basically serving as a henchman to Glicera's villainous schemes. This matters thematically, because it symbolizes that Glicera can always find something to be angry about, and Laphelia encourages her (which helps her rationalize and justify her bad decisions). Then, Glicera uses anger as license to harm other people. The book portrays these things as mistakes to be condemned.

Misanthropy

Interestingly, Glicera ends up punishing Grubguard for Melladore's sins. Grubguard has not harmed Glicera in anyway whatsoever, but when Glicera humiliates him, she does it as if he had it coming. This means that she doesn't see them as different people. Rather she hates men in general, or even people in general, and she views people as inherently disappointing and evil (because she is privileged and entitled). She hates everyone, but without reason. Just because she suffers, she thinks it's alright to hurt anyone she wants.

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