Alanna glows purple sometimes. That's really all the evidence you need in the case that there is some supernatural and magical stuff going on in Alanna: The First Adventure. Oh, and there's like deities and magic spells and hypnotism and stuff. (No elves or dragons though, sorry.) Since Alanna lives in a world with magic, and she herself is born with a magical Gift, she has to confront supernatural things throughout the story—and sometimes, those things are inside her. DUN DUN DUN. But seriously, Alanna wants to be a knight, so she's not thrilled about also having to cultivate her magical abilities, and this is yet one more example of Alanna's internal conflict. Who knew magic could be so angsty? Okay, maybe Harry Potter does.
Questions About The Supernatural
- Do you think Alanna's actually better suited to become a knight, or should she have gone to study magic at the City of the Gods?
- If you lived in Tortall and were born with the Gift, what would you do with it?
- Which deities are important in the lives of Alanna and her friends?
- What makes the Ysandir scarier: their magic or their cruelty?
Chew on This
Alanna would be better off if she hadn't been born with a magical Gift. In Alanna, magic does more harm than good.
Whoever's distributing Gifts must be elitist, since practically every character born with the Gift is noble.