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Discussion Questions: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
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City of Bones is divided into sections: part one is called “Dark Descent” after a quote from Paradise Lost. Certainly Clary’s entrance into the Pandemonium Club (Pandemonium is the fallen angels’ city in Paradise Lost) represents a descent into an urban hell, filled with teens in goth attire. Part Two: “Easy is the Descent” is a quote from the Aeneid, by Virgil, Dante’s guide in The Divine Comedy. In fact, Virgil’s Aeneid was one of the models for Dante’s Inferno. Despite the title, this portion of the story guides Clary to a higher spiritual plane, as she discovers the truth about her memories from the Silent Brothers and Magnus Bane, the wise ones of the story. Treacherous Dorothea and Hodge are revealed as their true selves as well. Part Three: The Descent Beckons is a stage of testing, in which Jace and Clary discover the truth about Valentine and must choose between good and evil. Epilogue: The Ascent Beckons comes at book’s end as Clary searches for a way to reclaim her mother and Jace. She has discovered the secrets of her past, but not until the third book will she achieve salvation for all the Shadowhunters. As Clare describes, Dante’s Divine Comedy includes three sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. These follow Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven as he finds spiritual enlightenment. Clary’s own journey can be seen as a metaphor for this: She crosses into the dark, demon-filled magical world, and then spends the middle of the story in a kind of Purgatory, unable to be with Jace. In the third book, she reaches the “heaven” of Idris.
In Dante’s first stage, he stumbles fearfully through a dark wood and his way is blocked by magical beasts: a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. He is trying to reach the towering mountain in the distance, which symbolizes spiritual salvation, but the way is difficult to achieve. He explores the circles of hell, each of which punishes sinners in a unique way. Similarly, Clary’s quest is blocked by antagonists, most of whom are demons. She is only guided out of the darkness by Jace and the Lightwoods. On her path through the otherworld of monsters and terrors, she encounters many sinners suffering torments, from Hodge to Madame Dorothea.
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***SPOILER WARNING*** These book club discussion questions reveal important details about City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Finish the book before reading on.
Summary
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother?
And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end. (From the publisher.)
Discussion Questions
1. When Clary learns that Magnus Bane had erased her supernatural memories, she says that she had always felt like there was something wrong with her. How much of this is because she didn't know her history, and how much is caused—as Magnus says—by the simple fact that she's a teenager? Does she belong in the Shadowhunter world?
2. How much of what mundanes see in this world is a glamour, constructed by those with magical powers? Why do these glamours exist? How do things change for Clary once she can see through them?
3. Where did Nephilim, witches and warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and faeries come from? Do their origins justify the roles they play and the rivalries between them?
4. Why did Valentine rebel against the Clave in the first place? What does he hope to accomplish by stealing the Mortal Instruments and fighting the Clave now? Whose best interests does he have in mind?
5. At one point, Jace says he doesn't believe in God (City of Bones, p. 256). Do you think this is true? Can someone be a Shadowhunter and not believe in God?
6. What is it about the Silent Brothers that is so disturbing to Clary and the others? Do you think the Silent Brothers play up this aura of creepiness?
7. Why was Jace, who rarely felt fear, so afraid when he was imprisoned in the Silent City?
8. How do Jace's feelings about danger and death differ from Alec's and Isabelle's? Why does Jace feel the way he does about putting himself in the line of danger? How does Clary change this?
9. Shadowhunters are charged with protecting mundanes, but they seem to have very little respect for those they serve. Why do you think their feelings for normal humans are so complicated? Why do they continue to serve mundanes if they don't like them?
10. After Valentine takes the Mortal Cup and returns to Idris, why does the Clave find it difficult to trust Jace? What does Jace do to earn their trust? What should he have done? Does Maryse Lightwood really distrust him?
11. What role does Luke play in Clary's life? Does this role change as the story progresses? How does the Clave feel about Luke? Why does he inspire such strong feelings in others?
12. When Simon becomes a daylighter, how will this keep him from finding his place in the world? In what ways is it helpful to him?
13. Discuss the character of Hodge. Why did he betray his young charges? Was he just self-serving and bad, or did he do some good with his life? Was he right to fear Valentine more than the Clave?
14. How did Jace and Clary get their special abilities? Why do you think they developed different skills? Will the other Shadowhunters view their abilities as a gift or a curse?
15. What is the significance of Clary creating the binding rune? Does its origin tell us anything about how Shadowhunters and Downworlders should treat each other?
16. What sacrifices does Simon make? Why is he willing to do these things? Does he gain anything by doing this?
17. Valentine's plotting and lies cause a lot of confusion about who his children are. How does Clary define family? Who had the greatest influence on the formation of Jace's character? Where does Jace belong? Which of the three children—Clary, Jace, and Jonathan—was most affected by Valentine?
18. Several people, including Jace and Luke, accuse Clary of rushing into situations without any regard to how her actions will affect others. Do you think this is a fair assessment? Do any other characters act like this? In the end, does this trait harm or help Clary?
19. Why does Alec have such a hard time telling people about his relationship with Magnus Bane? What changes his mind?
20. What does the phrase "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin" mean? Where did it originally come from? How does it apply to the situation with Valentine? How does it compare to what Clary was thinking when she wrote it?
21. Clary and her mother are both artists. How does this figure into their gifts as Shadowhunters? Overall, is Clary's gift creative or destructive?
22. Discuss the many biblical references in the book, particularly those that make up the chapter titles—East of Eden, All the Host of Hell, Where There is Sorrow, Sins of the Fathers, etc. Do these chapter headings add to the actions that take place in the chapters they begin? Why do you think the author chose so many quotes from the Bible? Is the Bible important in the lives of any of the characters?
23. The author starts each book and each section within the books with a quotation. What do you know about the sources of these quotations? What sort of works are they from? Is there a common theme? Why do you think the author chose these quotes?