Character Analysis
He might be a jerk, but Christian is the type of jerk who has a golden heart. Rose tells us: "And although he wasn't Strigoi himself, some people thought he wasn't far off, with the way he always wore black and kept to himself" (5.1). Talk about a social stigma—Christian is judged because of what his parents did, which wasn't his fault.
No one trusts Christian—even Rose—because his parents turned Strigoi, but when he and Lissa start hanging out in the church attic, there's no denying that he starts to care about the princess. In fact, he bonds with Lissa because they both saw their parents die and know what it's like for people to think they know them, but really have no clue. Lissa can be herself around him.
Shadow-Kissed
We know, we know. It's Rose who is called shadow-kissed (and Anna), but Christian spends a lot of his time lurking around in the dark. It gives him the chance to notice stuff, like:
- Rose letting Lissa feed on her
- Lissa cutting her wrists
- Mia and Andre hooking up
Since no one notices Christian, he's kind of the opposite of Lissa, who everyone sees. It even gives the guy an opportunity to hide away in the rescue van so he can help get Lissa away from the kidnappers. Too bad it lands him in hot water with the psi-hounds. We should point out that the fact that he risks his own neck and gets hurt trying to help Lissa shows just how much he cares about her.
Kiss and Tell
When Christian first kisses Lissa, her world stops turning. It's like nothing she's ever had before, even with Aaron:
Then, out of nowhere, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was hot and fast and furious, an outpouring of the rage and passion and longing that Christian always kept locked inside of him. Lissa had never been kissed like that, and I felt her respond to it, respond to him—how he made her feel so much more alive than Aaron or anyone else could. (18.117)
Sounds like some kiss. It's important to think about how Lissa's ideas about love and sex are different from her friend's. Why is she even with Aaron if Christian makes her feel this way? Eventually she sees the light, dumps Aaron, and gets with Christian. This is an important moment for Lissa, because it shows us she stops caring so much about what everyone else thinks, and starts doing things just for herself. Of course, social climber Mia tries to capitalize on the couple, mocking them to her friends.
Yet Rose points out to us: "They were lost in their own world and formed a gorgeous picture, she blond and fair and he blue-eyed and black-haired . I couldn't help but stare too. Mia was right. Both of their families were disgraced" (24.42). Somehow, these two social rejects make a great match. Take that, Mia.