The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War, #2)

Content Warning: This section addresses self-harm and physical abuse.

Many characters in The Dragon Republic bear physical scars that symbolize the lasting physical and psychological effects of warfare: Venka’s arms are scarred and disabled, Kitay’s arms are scarred with burn marks, Nezha’s back and face are laced with scars, and Rin is covered with scars where she’s burned herself, stabbed herself, or been injured.

Kitay’s scars symbolize his attempts to understand and come to terms with The Destruction and Inhumanity of War. He burns himself in an attempt to comprehend how the people of the Federation felt when they were consumed by fire. For others, like Nezha, scars signify punishment. Though Nezha’s dragon tattoo is a decade old, it looks like a “scar” that was “freshly inflicted” (467). The dragon’s mark on his skin symbolizes how Nezha has been “claimed for [the dragon’s] own” (476)—he sees this as a punishment for Mingzha’s death, which he blames himself for.

Further, for Rin and Kitay, scars symbolize connection. After Rin’s wings injure her back, Kitay gets a scar in the “same shape,” symbolizing the interconnectedness of their lives. This literal manifestation of their symbolic connection later becomes a plot device when they scar their skin to communicate about where Rin is being kept prisoner.