82 pages • 2 hours read
Leviathan
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Themes
Resolving Differences Between Competing Groups
Resolving differences between competing groups is a major theme of the book, evident even in the layout of the chapters. Until Chapter 22, Alek and Deryn alternate chapters as their respective countries move toward war. In a way, Alek and Deryn are competing for the reader’s attention, just as their countries are competing for resources and victory. The chapters slowly bring the characters together until they are face to face and interact as people, not enemies. The friendship between Alek and Deryn bridges the gap, allowing the crews of the Leviathan and the stormwalker to communicate with and help one another.
The relationship between the Darwinists and Clankers begins because Alek wants to help the shipwrecked people. After he gets captured, the Darwinists and Clankers only work together because each group has something the other needs: The Darwinists need the food stores from the castle, and the Clankers need Alek. After the Germans attack the Leviathan while Volger is a hostage and Alek wrecks the walker, the Darwinists and Clankers become even more dependent on one another. Without working together, both groups would starve and freeze on the glacier—if they weren’t captured and killed by the Germans first.
Though they are born from necessity, the relationships between Alek, Deryn, and Dr. Barlow reach unprecedented levels of trust. Unlike their countries, Alek and Deryn can see the other’s experiences, allowing them to respect each other despite their differences. Though Alek is upset that Deryn reported him after he saved her life, he understands that Deryn took an oath to protect her ship and was doing her duty (165). The teens develop a friendly relationship, and Alek begins to trust Deryn, saying “After a month of being betrayed—by his family, his country’s allies, and his own government—it was a relief to trust someone” (199). Alek tells Deryn that his parents are dead, trusting her not to tell anyone, and later reveals his true identity as the heir of Austria-Hungary to Deryn and Dr. Barlow. Though their countries will soon be at war, Deryn and Dr. Barlow decide that they do not need to fight. Instead, they find a way to help everyone escape the Germans and the glacier: Adding the stormwalker’s engines to the Leviathan, creating a hybrid ship.
The modified Leviathan is an important symbol of what can be accomplished when opposing forces work together. Once the mechanical engines are added to the airship, the living creatures that make up the Leviathan synergize with the Clanker technology. With the technologies working together, the Leviathan functions better than any Darwinist or Clanker ship independently. As Deryn says, the Leviathan is “something different now […] a little of us and a little of them” (247). The way the Leviathan embraces the two technologies is a representation of how the people of both crews work together to create something better than either could create independently.
The sentiment that emerges between the Leviathan’s and the stormwalker’s crews can be summarized in the Latin phrase Alek translated for Deryn: “Bella gerant alii,” which means “let others wage war.” Dr. Barlow says this phrase to Alek, to which he answers “This isn’t my war to wage” (163). In this brief interaction, Dr. Barlow and Alek are saying that just because their countries are at war does not mean the people stranded on the glacier have to fight. Instead, they learn to see past their differences and lean on each other to escape the Germans and the glacier.
Doing the Right Thing and the Perception of What is Right
Doing the right thing is a common theme in adventure stories like Leviathan, but this story provides a more in-depth understanding of how one’s perception of right and wrong can change depending on their upbringing. The way the book is structured, switching between Alek and Deryn’s perspectives, shows how “right” is a matter of perspective. During times of war, each country and individual does what they believe is right, even if it means killing other innocent people. The way right and wrong can change is evident in Deryn, Alek, and Count Volger’s character growth.
Deryn lies to enter the Air Service, pretending to be a 16-year-old boy to do what she believes is right. While lying is often objectively wrong, Deryn doesn’t consider her subterfuge to be wrong because it allows her to be true to herself and pursue the life she desires, simultaneously protecting her country from the impending war. Deryn is faced with many choices throughout the book, and her understanding of what’s right changes as she grows and gets closer to Alek. When Deryn and Alek first meet, Alek saves her from dying of frostbite. Though Alek wants to sneak away, Deryn alerts the crew to his presence, resulting in his capture. At this point, Deryn’s understanding of morality is based on what is best for the airship and her country. She says, “I took an oath to the Air Service and King George, to protect this ship. So I couldn’t go making promises to some intruder I’d just met, could I?” (165). As the book progresses and Deryn gets to know Alek better, her priorities shift. Deryn discovers that Alek is the heir of Austria-Hungary and receives a direct order from her captain to reveal any information about Alek’s true identity. Earlier in the book, Deryn would have immediately turned this information over to her superiors. Now, however, she says “she’d hoped Alek would give her permission to tell the captain, solving the whole dilemma. But […] what she really wanted was for Alek to know that she’d lied for him, that she would go on lying for him” (253). Deryn’s growth demonstrates how doing the right thing is not a straightforward decision but is dependent on one’s perception of the situation.
Alek also undergoes significant changes throughout the story, and his understanding of the “right” thing develops as he is exposed to dire situations. While Deryn’s understanding of what is right is determined by Britain’s priorities and the safety of the Leviathan, Alek thinks of what is right for Austria-Hungary and his five-man crew on the stormwalker. At first, Alek listens to Volger and Klopp’s advice, trusting them to determine what is right or wrong. As he grows more confident in himself, he begins to make his own decisions. When the Leviathan crashes on the glacier, Volger tells Alek, “You’re heir to the heir of Austria-Hungary. Your duty is to the empire, not to those men out there” (137). However, Alek decides that helping the men is the right thing to do. Though the decision makes him a prisoner on the airship, Alek doesn’t regret it, thinking that “Maybe this was how you stayed sane in wartime: a handful of noble deeds amid the chaos” (158). Alek’s priorities shift from protecting Austria-Hungary, and therefore keeping himself out of danger, to doing what he feels is moral at the moment. This shift causes him to charge the stormwalker into battle to save Volger and defend the Leviathan, give the stormwalker’s engine to the airship to save his and the Leviathan’s crews, and nearly turn himself in to the British authorities to keep Deryn from being hanged.
Lastly, Count Volger works hard to protect Alek and preserve the throne of Austria-Hungary, though his attitude and actions often appear contrary. From the first chapter, Volger treats Alek dismissively, always reminding him of his mother’s common blood, which disqualifies Alek from ruling or inheriting from his father. However, Volger is simply pretending to disdain Alek to protect him. This seems counterintuitive, but he wants to maintain the illusion that Alek is not an heir and therefore not a political target. Volger’s core desire throughout the book is to protect Alek, and his understanding of what is right stems from this desire. At first, this means treating Alek poorly, even kidnapping and drugging him to get him to safety. Later, it means strictly teaching Alek hard lessons with little room for mistakes. Volger even forbids Alek from helping the shipwrecked crew because Volger’s understanding of what’s right is based on protecting Alek. Eventually, Volger learns that Alek has become a man. He can no longer protect him and must support him in his decisions.
These three characters undergo major transformations, as do their understandings of right and wrong. As their priorities shift, their actions adjust to continue doing what they believe is right, even if that action is contrary to how they would have acted earlier. Through these characters, Westerfeld demonstrates that doing the right thing is rarely straightforward and is based entirely on one’s perception.
The Consequences of Subterfuge
The consequences of subterfuge is the third major theme in Leviathan. Each of the major characters keeps secrets from each other, which influences their relationships and ability to trust. Deryn, Alek, and Dr. Barlow each carry large secrets about their identities that impact their relationships. Subterfuge also plays a large part in the war, as withholding information makes it difficult for competing forces to work together, and secrets can be weaponized to achieve one’s goals.
Deryn’s secret is obvious, as she lies about being a 16-year-old boy to enter the Air Service. Though she is pretending to be something she is not, she feels more like herself than she does when her mother forces her to wear dresses and corsets and act like a lady. Deryn is happy with her secret, and it hardly affects her relationships with the other crewmembers until Dr. Barlow comes aboard. As a female scientist, Deryn is nervous that Dr. Barlow will uncover the truth, making Deryn act cautiously around her. Dr. Barlow discovers one part of it, figuring out that Deryn is lying about her age, but she resolves to keep the information to herself. The secret mainly affects Deryn’s relationship with Alek. When the two teens meet, it seems they have very little in common, but as they get to know each other, Deryn can relate to Alek over losing his parents. She eventually promises him that she won’t reveal his true identity to anyone. Deryn is one of the few people Alek trusts, so he thanks her and thinks, “After a month of being betrayed—by his family, his country’s allies, and his own government—it was a relief to trust someone” (199). Deryn realizes how deeply Alek trusts her and wants to “trade her secret for his,” thus securing their bond (254). However, she gets interrupted before she can tell the truth and doesn’t get another opportunity, leaving the book feeling unresolved.
Alek both keeps secrets from others and has secrets kept from him about himself. For the first half of the book, Klopp and Volger know the truth about Alek’s role as the heir of Austria-Hungary, but do not tell him until the group reaches Switzerland. This secret impacts the way others treat Alek and his perception of himself. For the majority of his life, Count Volger treats him as the son of a lady-in-waiting, not paying him the respect he feels he deserves. This negatively impacts their relationship and limits Alek’s willingness to receive advice from Volger. After learning that he is, in fact, the heir of Austria-Hungary, he thinks:
He’d always been an imposter in his own house, his father unable to leave him anything, his distant relatives wishing he’d never been born. Even his mother—she was the cause of it all. She’d cost him an empire, and somewhere deep down that fact had always stood between them. How could the abyss that had defined his life disappear so suddenly? (133).
The subterfuge involved in legalizing his parents’ marriage leaves Alek unaware when it comes time for him to inherit his father’s title. However, he slowly comes to accept his role and begins to think and act with more authority. His relationship with Volger drastically improves once Alek knows the truth and sees that Volger was only pretending to disrespect him and that he willingly gave up his life, lands, and title to protect Alek and Austria-Hungary.
Alek then has to keep this information hidden from the Leviathan’s crew, knowing that he is too politically valuable to be freed. No matter how hard he tries to hide his identity, his royal upbringing shows in the way he speaks and carries himself, leading to Dr. Barlow’s discovery of his identity. Alek begs Dr. Barlow and Deryn to keep the secret between them. This causes tension between Alek and Deryn, who receives a direct order to divulge any information about the Austrians. Alek nearly turns himself in to prevent Deryn from being hanged as a traitor, showing just how drastic the consequences of subterfuge can be.
Dr. Barlow keeps many secrets during her time on the Leviathan. First and foremost is the purpose of the trip, the eggs which are being transferred to Constantinople as an attempt to reconcile Churchill’s offense to the Ottomans when he stole their ship. Though Dr. Barlow eventually tells Alek and Deryn the truth about the eggs, the contents of the eggs themselves are never revealed. The last line of the book poses the question from Alek, “What are you?” which of course, the eggs do not answer, leading to intrigue for the next book in the series. Dr. Barlow also keeps her true identity as the granddaughter of Charles Darwin a secret until the very end of the book. This reveal helps Deryn and Alek make sense of how much power she has aboard the ship and why she has the authority to keep Alek’s identity a secret. While Dr. Barlow’s secrets worked in Deryn and Alek’s favor during the events of this book, Alek is uncomfortable around her when he realizes how involved she is in fabricating new life forms. In their last interaction, Dr. Barlow tells Alek she has special plans for him and ruffles his hair, which sends shivers down Alek’s spine, hinting that Dr. Barlow’s motives in the second and third books of the trilogy may not be so pure (257).
Subterfuge does not only have interpersonal consequences but political ones as well. For instance, the murder of Alek’s parents is blamed on the Serbians, though Volger suspects the Germans were secretly behind it. Additionally, though Alek himself did not know of his parents’ legalized marriage or that he was the heir of Austria-Hungary, the German military somehow knows this information, and they hunt Alek and his team relentlessly. Because the information was not publicized, the common people do not know that Alek is the heir and do not care if he is killed, putting Alek in a dangerous position. Finally, Winston Churchill tries to withhold an airship from the Ottoman Empire even though they paid for it, worsening tensions between the nations and escalating the war’s risks. Subterfuge during times of war is necessary, but it often impedes diplomacy and costs more lives.
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By Scott Westerfeld
