Given that The Wee Free Men takes place in a feudal society, it makes a lot of sense that there's a great deal of power play going on in the book. First of all, we have the power plays of day-to-day life. Tiffany lives in a town where the Baron owns all the land, even though people work hard on their farms. Then we have the power plays in Fairyland, where the Queen holds a great deal of power (not by winning friends, let us tell you), and there are smaller factions that war for power too. And of course, when Tiffany comes face to face with the Queen, she has to make sure that she doesn't let the Queen overpower her.
The very title of this book is a reference to power too. The pictsies that Tiffany encounters choose to call themselves the Wee Free Men as a reminder that they are free from the terrible Queen. They now live in familial clans run by keldas (leaders).
Questions About Power
- How much power does the Queen really have?
- Words have a lot of power in this book. Why do you think this is?
- Why can't Fion become the next kelda? Why does she have to find her own clan?
- What makes Tiffany a powerful witch?
Chew on This
Even though the Queen may have all sorts of impressive Fairyland powers, in the end, she is helpless against Tiffany's firm grasp on reality.
Tiffany learns the true meaning of power because by the end of the story she just wants to be responsible and to hold other people (like Roland) accountable for their actions.