This post is going to be something different. I’ve had the idea in my mind for a while. I’d like to discuss some the themes and symbols in my friend Daniela Elana’s book “Volatile,” and share my thoughts. Hope you enjoy. Oh and spoiler alert, if you have not read the book “Volatile,” there will be plot spoilers in this post, so be forewarned! Without further ado, let’s begin.
Theme of Betrayal
Betrayal is a pertinent theme that appears throughout Volatile. Maricel first gets betrayed by the guy she meets on the bus who turned out to be a creep. Later on, she feels betrayed by celebrities that she idolized and looked up to when one of them assaults her and later insults her. Later on in the novel, Maricel gets betrayed by her deadbeat dad who comes into her life out of the blue. The two start to develop a connection, until it was later revealed to Maricel that her dad only wanted to connect for her money. She felt betrayed by that. Towards the climax of the novel, Marciel gets betrayed by her lover Claudius, who was revealed to have lied about everything regarding who he was, including his name. Maricel is forced to work together with a few of the enslaved denizens in the secret society of Lemuria, only to be betrayed yet again by one of the allies that she had previously worked with once all of them were out of the fray. Betrayal is a prevalent theme in Volatile, and the lessons that can be learned can be applied to the real world. Sometimes, you don’t know who you can trust, because people whom you could know really well could have the worst of intentions. The only person you can trust is yourself, but even then, not fully, which was the case when Maricel took possession of the crystal skull. She had lost control of herself and became someone she was not; something she was not. Similarly, strong emotions, whether they are positive or negative, can make us act in ways that we wouldn’t normally act. Same thing with substances. We have the potential to act in ways we wouldn’t normally act. If one is not careful, it is possible to lose one’s self. It is possible to act irrational and become someone you’re not. It is possible to do things you would normally not do. In short, you have to be skeptical of people, and try not to act in ways that can hurt yourself or others. Don’t be too skeptical, though. By acting too skeptical of things, it is possible to turn away the people who care about the most, causing them to feel betrayed. This was the case when Maricel pushed her friends and family away after they warned her about who Claudius really was. By the time she found out for herself who he really was, it was too late. So, to summarize, be skeptical, but not too skeptical, be cautious, but not too cautious, be open to listen to people’s concerns, even if you may not believe it 100 percent, try to act in ways that don’t hurt yourself or others, and lastly, try not to push people away, because you might wind up pushing away the people who care about you the most.
Theme of Change
Throughout the novel, Maricel evolves as a character. She starts out as a country gal that no one really knew. As time goes on, she becomes a famous actress who everybody knows. By the end of the novel, she loses all of that fame and becomes a nobody once again. Not only that, but her character also changes in the way she acts. At the start of the novel, she’s passive about a lot of things. By the end of the novel, she becomes a strong and independent character who doesn’t take crap from anyone else. In a way, she goes from being a follower to becoming a leader.
Similarly, her relationship with Claudius changes. In the beginning, he starts off as an elusive character with a mysterious backstory. As Maricel finds out more about Claudius, their relationship changes. It goes from joyful to annoying to abusive to a full-blown nightmare. In the end, she is able to escape him, but at the cost of losing everything and everyone she loved.
Individualism vs Conformity
Throughout the novel, the themes of individuality and conformity clash in dynamic and ironic ways. Maricel’s character is the embodiment of individuality. She constantly makes her own choices, which a lot of the time go against what others expect of her. When her friends and family warned her of Claudius, she decided to stay with him despite what they said to her. When she was brought to Lemuria, she was expected to act like a queen, but she didn’t. She did what she wanted to do. Eventually, she turned on the order itself and found a way to escape. She had help, but ultimately, she made it out alone. From the beginning of the novel all the way to the end, Maricel did things her way.
Claudius embodies both conformity and individuality. He was imprisoned by God, but eventually made his way out. Once he did, he and a group of other angels turned on God and formed their own society. In this sense, they were individualists because they did things their own way. They didn’t go along with what God and the other angels expected of them. That is how Claudius embodies individuality. On the flipside, he also embodies conformity. Sometime after forming a secret society, Claudius became a tyrant and ruled over the society with an iron fist. He oppressed the citizens of Lemuria and forced them to conform with his vision. If they didn’t, there’d be dire consequences for them.
Symbolism of Fire
Fire is a major symbol for “Volatile,” and the rest of the “Through the Fire” series. The relationship of Claudius and Maricel is described as “volatile.” In chemistry, volatility relates to vapor pressures and boiling points for liquids or solids. If the vapor pressure is high, volatility is high. If the boiling point, volatility is low. This is because gases are the most unstable form of matter. Usually, a substance’s volatility is recorded at room temperature. If a substance evaporates (for liquids) or sublimates (for solids) at room temperature, that means that for that specific substance, room temperature was a very high temperature for it. In layman’s terms, room temperature is considered “hot” for volatile substances that evaporate or sublimate at room temperature.
Fire itself burns at high temperatures. It is a very destructive force. It can end lives, burn homes, and destroy ecosystems. If fire is not contained and controlled, it can quickly go out of control and burn everything in its path.
Love is usually compared to fire or flames. This is because love, just like fire, can burn uncontrollably if it is not contained or controlled. Similarly, other emotions, especially anger, are like fire as well. If they are not controlled or contained, they can go out of control like a wildfire.
Fire, for the most part, is bad. It is bad if it goes out of control. However, there are some good qualities about fire. Firstly, fire can be a light source. It can light up the darkness that surrounds. A person with a strong, positive personality can have a similar effect, as well. If there is sadness and negativity in a person’s life, a positive person could sometimes brighten up that person’s life, even if it is in a small or brief way. Positive people can also find a way to bring joy into the lives of those they meet, whether it’s friends, family, lovers, or even strangers. Just by being who they are as people, they are able to make people’s lives better.
Fire can also provide warmth for people. In the frigid, cold months, or in environments with extreme cold, fire can help provide some warmth for people. Heat is able to radiate out of the flames and can warm a person’s external and internal body temperature. Similarly, someone who is a loving individual can give people feelings of warmth and comfort in the ways they speak and act. They can show uplifting emotional support when needed, and are caring and affectionate individuals.
Lastly, fire has a rejuvenating effect. Once it destroys an ecosystem, it has the potential to allow new ecosystems to thrive. It provides new organisms with homes and shelter, it allows plants and seedlings to grow and thrive, and it enriches the soil by providing it with nutrients! Similarly, when love fails, it makes way for something new. It allows people to find out who they truly are, and it allows people to better themselves as individuals, and it gives them a chance to find a way to tame the flame that they have within them. It allows one to grow, learn, and thrive! It allows one to enrich their lives with whatever it is they enjoy the most and it allows people to figure out what it is they want from love. It allows people to figure out what they want and how they want to be. The ending of love is not an ending; it’s a beginning. It’s the beginning of something new; something better. It’s the beginning of something that is better than anything that came before! That is what love is, and that is how love can make us grow, even when it ends! Sure, love may be volatile, but it’s volatility can bring about change that is needed for people to grow!
Closing Thoughts
There are many more themes and symbols in “Volatile” that I could discuss, but for now, I think I’ve written enough. I don’t want this post to get too long, after all! I just wanted to highlight some themes and symbols that I found interesting! I hope you all enjoyed! While you’re at it, feel free to check out my friend Daniela Elana’s blog. It has a lot of great work on there! Take care, everyone! I plan on making more literary discussions like this, not only of my friend’s other books, but also other works that I find interesting, as well, whether it’s movies, TV shows, video games, books from other authors, YouTube videos, music, art, poems, short stories, etc. Anyways, that’s all for now!
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