Trapped in a Transformation

Disguises, deception, and transformation are a large part of Luck in the Shadows. These elements work to both further the plot and deal with issues of identity in the characters. Seregil in particular dons many different guises. This makes Seregil more of a mystery to the reader, as he hides much of his self from the world. In the novel, Seregil has not only cosmetic disguises, but also transforms with the assistance of magic to completely change his self. While the transformation of Alec and Seregil to their spirit animal—a stag and otter respectively—say a lot about the main characters, the transformation that interests me most is Seregil’s switch in body with Thero. We see Seregil struggling, physically, with this shift in body, in a way he hasn’t with other transformations. Several times, Seregil mentions aches in his–Thero’s–body as a result of this transformation. In addition, Seregil struggles mentally with this transformation. This mental strife is seen in Seregil’s dream, a representation of his subconscious self.

When Seregil switches bodies with Thero to leave his cell, he is physically free but mentally trapped. I hypothesize that these feelings of imprisonment forced Seregil to self-reflect on his true self, without the trappings of disguises. Seregil’s dream begins with him feeling trapped in Thero’s body, showing the unnatural-ness of wearing someone else’s skin. Seregil has many different disguises, but truly swapping bodies means living in a body that was initially created for another. (In regards to Nesbit’s Fantastic Code, this becomes a new rule about transformations throughout the series, as magic must be consistent.)

While Seregil does have the power to leave Thero’s body, he is then confronted with his own self, which horrifies him. “His true body stood in the center of the room, naked except for the crawling massive tiny, spider-shaped flames that incased it from the neck down.” The fact that he appears naked is further evidence that this his natural form. The flames that encase his body are light (as discussed in class, there is a reversal of the typical roles of light and dark within the novel, with light being the tools of evil), and have a mind of his own. Seregil is not able to control these flames consuming his body, which introduces an external element that has influence on his true self. 

Self-reflection is something that is sometimes painful to undergo and easy to overlook. Without the physical and emotional feelings of being trapped from this transformation, I don’t believe Seregil would have been pushed to examine his true self.