Golden Son

As a Red masquerading as a Gold in a world where discovery of his true identity means death, Darrow feels a constant internal conflict between his survival instincts (the need to protect himself and his mission) and the basic human need for genuine social, emotional, and spiritual connection. His dual identity—as both a Red and a Gold—creates a constant sense of fracture and displacement in his own life. Darrow himself describes his isolation as, “a loneliness that I’ve always felt among these Golds, but tricked myself into forgetting. I am not one of them” (36). The isolation of having to hide his true self impacts both his friendships and his psychological state. He consistently holds back his true self from his friends, as evidenced by Roque noting that Darrow is naturally reserved. His friendships with Tactus and Victra are also negatively impacted by need to remain guarded, and his lack of communication with the Sons of Ares—the only ones who know his true identity—intensifies his sense of isolation. Both Darrow’s mood and the state of most of his friendships improve when he lets down his guard and shares the burden with Sevro. The author illustrates the psychological impact of Darrow’s solitude through his emotional response to learning Sevro is in the Sons of Ares and knows his true identity: “He knows and he came to help me. To help me. I can’t stop shaking and saying thank you” (209). Shortly after this revelation, Darrow is able to open up and share a moment of honest vulnerability with Victra, suggesting the cumulative effect of connection—feeling seen and known in one relationship affects the ability to be vulnerable in others.

Because of Sevro, Darrow identifies the effect that his isolation has had on his physical and psychological well-being. Remaining isolated doesn’t prove his strength or superiority—instead, isolation is a tool of oppression. The Society’s social hierarchy forces the Colors into isolation from each other—preventing them from joining forces to throw off their oppressors. Darrow increases his sense of connection by telling Ragnar the truth: “And so I tell him. I tell him in that freezer what Dancer told me in the penthouse. We have been deceived” (298). By sharing the moral burden of the truth, Darrow and Ragnar move from a slaver-slave relationship into friendship between two people with a common goal: freedom.

The strength of their shared values climaxes when Ragnar risks being killed by Mustang after Darrow tells Mustang the truth. However, their ability to connect via the truth is threatened by the guilt Mustang feels for her privilege as she reckons with the oppression her people have perpetuated. She asks Darrow: “How can you even look at me […] After what we’ve done to your people. After what my father did to you” (421). Faced with the truth, Mustang feels morally conflicted—on one hand, she knows Darrow and the Sons of Ares are right in their quest to end the oppression of the Golds, but she also cannot fathom participating in the destruction of her own race.

Given her internal conflict, Mustang experiences her own sense of isolation and psychological suffering. In a way, she too has been inadvertently living a lie. Her sense of connection to her family and community has been broken by the knowledge that they are oppressors, but as a Gold, she doesn’t feel a sense of belonging among the oppressed either. Mustang’s arc going forward will be to reckon with this isolation created by the guilt of her privilege and find a way forward through intentional action, de-centering her personal feelings of guilt and betrayal and focusing on enacting change.