Strength

Noria continues to face adversity from pages 92-168. She is barely granted the title of a tea master after being examined by Master Niiramo and her father due to a few mistakes and the fact that she’s a female. In fact, Master Niiramo informs Noria that her gender is unfortunate and the old scriptures state “A woman shall not walk the path of tea masters, lest she be ready to abandon her life as a woman” on page 101. It’s funny to see that even though the world has been through so much destruction, there is gender inequality in Noria’s society. However, I love the sassiness in Noria’s answers to Master Niiramo as he points out her mistakes. It demonstrates that women should stand up for themselves when they’re criticized for doing something differently from a man, especially if their method is just as efficient.

Then, Noria’s father dies. This was sort of unsurprising because her father was constantly having some weird cough attacks so I sensed that something was seriously wrong with him during the previous chapters. To exacerbate the death of her father, Noria and Sanja develop a suspicion soldier is watching closely at the funeral. Noria flashes back to a conversation with her father, saying that the soldiers don’t want to risk organized resistance, but want to grip the community tight until no one has the courage to stand against them. The stratocracy being implemented is only hurting the people, allowing the military to abuse its power. A perfect example would be when Commander Taro destroyed Noria’s house and garden without providing an restoration to the unnecessary damage.

It’s sort of depressing as you follow Noria’s journey because it seems as if you’re apart of it too. Noria’s lost of her father really hits her as she spends time maintaining the house and fell all by herself. She’s forced to mature in a short time span while grieving at the same. I find her to be a strong individual. Her mom’s away, her father’s dead, she’s been closely watched by the military, she has to carry on the duty of a tea master, and let’s not forget that she’s living in a world destroyed by climate change. I can’t wait to see how it all works out.