City of Ashes

The textual elements of coming of age and The Struggle for Identity continue in this section, with Clary realizing the cost of adult decisions. Clary tells the unconscious Jocelyn that she finally understands the import of her mother’s words, “[G]rowing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change” (193). Clary wishes she could undo her decision of kissing Jace, which she believes led Simon to seek out the vampire lair. While Clary’s words show she is indeed growing up and realizing all decisions have consequences, they also illustrate that Clary tends to feel overly responsible for others. Thus, an important lesson she must learn is to rid herself of guilt and understand that every person is responsible for their own decisions and choices. As Luke explains to her, it was Simon’s choice to go to the vampire lair. There is nothing Clary could have done to circumvent that choice. Growing up thus also means letting go of the illusion that one can control the decisions of other people.

Luke’s wise counsel to Clary highlights his centrality as a father figure in her life, illustrating The Dynamics of Family Loyalty and Betrayal. The loyalty that Luke and Clary feel for each other is true and pure, independent of biological relation. Luke’s conversation with Clary is in stark contrast with the encounter between Valentine and Jace in Chapter 13. While Luke’s love for Clary is unconditional and unselfish, Valentine first tortures Jace with the fear demon, then tries his best to manipulate Jace. Luke thus emerges as a foil for Valentine, a far better father figure than the man who is Clary’s biological—and Jace’s adoptive—father.

This section of the novel provides a crucial glimpse into demons, the entities that Shadowhunters fight, further expanding The Complicated Conflict Between Good and Evil. Clare draws inspiration from various folklores and mythologies for the demons in the Shadowhunter universe. For instance, the Raum demons that attack Luke may be inspired by Raum, a “Greater Earl of Hell” mentioned in a compendium from medieval Europe. To make the demons more believable, the various demons are carefully distinguished from each other, their specific physical characteristics described in detail. Thus, Drevak demons are described as white and maggot-like, whereas Raum demons have tentacles topped by suckers filled with “needle-sharp teeth” (218).

The description of the demons enhances the horror elements in the novel, while also emphasizing the threat these creatures represent. In the Shadowhunter universe, demons are malevolent beings who in the Earth dimension usually take a hideous, unpleasant form. Demons are often accompanied by a smell of rot and decay, which is why Luke smells garbage when the Raum demons approach him. When a demon dies or is killed, its energy returns to Hell—its home dimension (demons do not have souls).

As the mentions of demons, hell, and angels indicate, the novel borrows its world-building and cosmology from biblical, Christian, Jewish, Kabbalistic, and other adjacent lore. Shadowhunters trace their powers to the archangel Raziel, who is mentioned in medieval Jewish texts. The term “Nephilim” is taken from the Bible and refers to gigantic, mysterious creatures. In the City of Ashes, characters quote the Bible and other religious sources, and chapter titles reference biblical events. For example, the title of Chapter 13—“A Host of Rebel Angels” (228)—refers to Lucifer and other fallen angels who rebelled against God. Here, Valentine fancies himself a rebel angel in the tradition of Lucifer, who rises against an authoritarian old order.

However, the Lucifer that Valentine identifies with is not the Lucifer of the Bible, but the hero of Milton’s Paradise Lost, a text he has made Jace read “ten to fifteen times” (237). Some critics interpret Milton’s portrayal of Lucifer as that of an anti-establishment antihero, an aspect that clearly appeals to Valentine. However, the truth is that Valentine is no anti-establishment crusader; he is in fact a bigot who wants to impose his will on others. He refers to Downworlders as “degenerate races” (239) and shows a complete lack of remorse over killing Downworlder teenagers. Jace notes that Valentine is a hypocrite: Although he professes to prize rebelliousness, he has no patience for disobedience or disagreement.

Jace makes several unilateral decisions in this section, beginning with meeting Raphael secretly and visiting the demon ship without informing his friends. These decisions show Jace’s shortcoming as a team member, as he often tends to operate alone without considering how his actions might impact others. His behavior is in contrast with Clary’s, who has a more collaborative approach.

The demon ship’s location on the East River between Manhattan and Long Island juxtaposes a real-world geographical setting with a fantastical universe. The boat is large and sleek, almost all its windows painted black. In alchemy, the medieval science of transformation to which the novel alludes, black represents the lowest spiritual state. It is associated with death and decay; thus, Valentine’s ship is a symbol of negativity and suffering.

The depiction of the ship emphasizes the paranormal, gothic, and horror elements of the narrative, and possibly alludes to a literary text. In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1834), a ship becomes cursed and marooned at sea. Clare often refers to 19th-century works in her novels; the literary references not only add an additional layer of meaning and association to the text, but they also connect the novel’s world to the real world.

The demon-ship sequence marks the climax of Part 2 and ends on a cliffhanger: Valentine offering Jace a choice. Although Jace makes a decision as the section ends, the text does not reveal the decision to the reader. The cliffhanger ending deepens the suspense for Part 3. The narrative often uses ambiguity as a narrative device to add drama to the plot, as in the case of the hidden decisions and motives of Maryse, Jace, and Alec. Jace’s secret decision—which is revealed to be that he refuses to join Valentine’s side—sets the stage for the novel’s climactic, action-packed final part.