Flawed

“I am a girl of definitions, of logic, of black and white. Remember this.”

In the very brief first chapter, the narrator directly addresses the reader. Celestine introduces herself as “a girl of definitions, of logic”; this foreshadows several instances where she’ll refers to her love of logic and reason as driving her actions, especially when her behavior goes against social norms.

“NEVER TRUST A man who sits, uninvited, at the head of the table in another man’s home.

Not my words. They were the words of my granddad, Cornelius, who, as a result of saying them, landed himself the farthest away from this table, and he won’t be welcome back anytime soon.”

Celestine introduces Judge Bosco Crevan. Though they are not her “words,” they announce that Crevan is the antagonist. She follows these lines with her own impression at the time, which is that Judge Crevan is her boyfriend’s friendly, harmless father. However, the narrative makes it clear through Crevan’s behavior that he is arrogant, even though Celestine is too naive to see it at the time.

Celestine’s naivety marks the beginning of her character arc. Later, when she reverses her opinion about both Crevan and her grandfather, it will mark how far she’s come.

“The Whistleblowers are the army of the Guild, sent out to protect society from the Flawed. They are not our official police; they are responsible for taking into custody those who are morally and ethically Flawed. Criminals go to prison; they have nothing to do with the Flawed court system.”

This novel provides background information about how this dystopian society is organized. Celestine distinguishes between the Flawed court system, which is concerned with issues of morality and ethics, and the criminal justice system, which is concerned with illegal acts. This sets up the main theme of the story, Morality Is Relative. It also foreshadows the interconnected nature of other social and political issues in this fictional world. Society’s treatment of Celestine once she has been branded exemplifies the scapegoating and criminalization of the Flawed that go against the Guild’s original aim, and critiques how scapegoating has worked in real life.

“When you see something, it can’t be unseen. When you hear a sound, it can never be unheard. I know, deep down, that this evening I have learned something that can never be unlearned. And the part of my world that is altered will never be the same.”

This marks the first turning point in Celestine’s character growth. Although she is still naive, she is becoming aware of the underlying oppression perpetrated by the Guild. The first two lines use repetition and have a parallel structure, beginning with “When you.” This and the opposition between “learn/unlearn” reinforce the significance of this moment.

“I understand what he is doing. He is preventing people from being deceived. I know the difference between right and wrong. I understand the rules. But today I feel that the rules, of which I am a true supporter, have been blurred, because today they were literally on my front doorstep.”

Celestine speaks here of Judge Crevan. She shows that she is naive through her unquestioned certainty. She insists that she “[knows] the difference between right and wrong,” suggesting that she may be too sure of herself. In fact, she is only repeating an ideology that she has been conditioned to follow. Her worldview is changing now that the consequences of the system are affecting her personally.

“It was the most perfect moment in my life. It was the last perfect moment in my life.”

The echoing structure of these two sentences emphasizes how dramatically things are about to change after she shares her last “perfect moment” with Art. Celestine’s words build tension and suspense, setting up her subsequent downfall and ostracization. They are narrated by a future, more experienced version of Celestine, who reflects back on her journey.

“Mom likes to buy pastels for all the family. She thinks that we look more like a unit when we’re dressed that way. I know of some families who hire stylists to help coordinate not just the clothes but their overall look as a family. None of us wants to look out of place or like we don’t belong, though Juniper often likes to do her own thing, wearing something that’s not a part of our family color palette. We let her do just that—her loss, though Mom worries that it makes us look fragmented. I think the only person who looks fragmented is Juniper.”

Summer North’s preference for visual cohesiveness highlights her desire to fit into the rigidly conformist society. The North family performs the role of a perfect, idealized family, and even Juniper’s mild rebellion against the family dress code is seen as a potential threat. Celestine is quick to ostracize her sister as an other, showing that she is buying into the Guild’s ideology at this point in the story.

“He is defensive, though I’m not attacking him. This is how it gets when people have discussions about the Flawed. Everyone has such strong opinions it’s almost like it’s personal.”

Art reacts defensively when Celestine asks questions out of genuine curiosity. This highlights the common prejudice against the Flawed. Celestine remarks that people’s emotions prevent them from viewing things objectively, which leads them to feeling “defensive” rather than critiquing the system. Her observation reveals that she is thinking about the Flawed and society’s treatment of them more deeply than most, which signals her character growth.

“Could perfection be bred? Many ways to achieve this were tried and tested, and what the government eventually settled on was Crevan’s Guild and its Flawed brandings.”

In this chapter, Celestine provides more background information about the social and political disasters that led to the reorganization of society. The question “Could perfection be bred?” led to the introduction of the Guild as a temporary safeguard. Celestine emphasizes its current biased and oppressive rule.

“They want me to lie. They want me to say that what I did was wrong. But to even tell a lie is to be Flawed. To gain my freedom, I must for the first time become Flawed. It doesn’t make sense. It is illogical.”

Celestine’s belief system starts to unravel as she realizes that her reality is now contradicting her ideals. The fact that she cannot rely on reason or logic—what she holds most important—shakes her entire foundation. She highlights her struggle by pointing out a paradox: To tell the truth would condemn her, and to tell a lie would save her; either option would mark her as Flawed. These lines use repetition—“They want me”—for emphasis.

“We are to be held up to the rest of the world as a mirror of their worst nightmares. Scapegoats for all that is wrong in their lives.”

Celestine reveals the deeper purpose of the Flawed system. At its root, the Guild does not simply aim to organize society around common ideals, but to enforce rigid social norms through fear. The divide between the Flawed and others is arbitrary, and only meant to maintain compliance to authority.

“I study him when he’s not looking, to see what color his eyes are. I don’t know why I’m obsessing over this. I suppose it’s because Art’s are so clearly blue. You see them before you see him. They’re one of the things I love most about him, whereas with Carrick, his eyes seem black, but they can’t possibly be.”

Celestine contrasts Art and Carrick’s eye colors in a way that shows how they are foils. Art, with his “clearly blue” eyes, represents familiarity, innocence, and Celestine’s clearly defined worldview before she gets arrested. Carrick, with his seemingly black eyes, is a more mysterious and ambivalent figure. Celestine implicitly understands that there is more than meets the eye, both in Carrick’s character and, by extension, in the seemingly black-and-white world she lives in.

“My black and white is now fuzzy and gray.”

Celestine initially viewed the world as black and white, with clearly defined rights and wrongs. Here, she reveals her struggle with morality, and explores how Morality Is Relative. Now that she is less naive about the Guild, she is ambivalent and confused.

“I’ve learned that to be courageous is to feel fear within, every step of the way. Courage does not take over, it fights and struggles through every word you say and every step you take. It’s a battle or a dance as to whether to let it pervade. It takes courage to overcome, but it takes extreme fear to be courageous.”

Celestine’s definition of courage parallels her character growth as she learns to face more and more challenging obstacles. She points out that fear and courage are not opposites, as one may think. Rather, fear is necessary for bravery. Without fear, standing up for what is right and defying the Guild wouldn’t be courageous; it would be easy.

“I recall Art’s telling me when he gave me the anklet that a man at Highland Castle made it for him. Bark is the man who branded me perfect, and the same man who brands me Flawed. We share a long look.”

The reversal of Bark’s role is symbolic of Celestine’s journey from so-called perfection to being Flawed. She suggests that being “perfect” is as much an arbitrary, fictitious marker as being Flawed. She reinforces the logical fallacy that the entire system is based on.

“Everything in my wardrobe represents carefree to me, bought and worn by someone who blended in and had nothing to hide. I am not that person anymore.”

Celestine struggles to find her place in society. Before she was branded, she conformed without even trying. Now that she is Flawed, she stands out more, but tries to hide from shame and ostracization. Invisibility is her defense mechanism, as she sees visibility as a threat.

“Instead, I read books in the library, huddling on a beanbag in a corner and getting lost in somebody else’s victories and troubles. I never had much time for fiction before. I preferred real life. Mathematics. Solutions. Things that actually have a bearing on my life. But I can understand now why people read, why they like to get lost in somebody else’s life. Sometimes I’ll read a sentence and it will make me sit up, jolt me, because it is something that I have recently felt but never said out loud. I want to reach into the page and tell the characters that I understand them, that they’re not alone, that I’m not alone, that it’s okay to feel like this.”

Celestine struggles to reconcile her ideals with her reality, illustrated by her new appreciation for fiction, which contrasts with her love of mathematics. While her worldview used to be very black-and-white, almost clinical, she is now learning about nuance and contextualization. By escaping into other people’s stories, she is developing a sense of community and empathy—“I can understand now.”

“I lose something and can’t figure out what it is until I realize my hands are tied tightly behind my back and pulled in one direction: It’s my faith, in absolutely everything and everyone. Desire to pick up my life and try to live as normally as possible is punched out of me right there. I surrender to my Flawed life; they have won, and I have lost.”

This shows a turning point for Celestine. The last remnants of her naivety are gone, signaling that her worldview has truly shifted. Her hopelessness indicates that her identity crisis has reached its climax, and foreshadows her evolution. From now on, Celestine will not try to fit into an unjust system, but actively work to dismantle it.

“‘I will go to her party, for your father’s sake, because she always likes to have the presence of an international model at her parties,’ she says through gritted teeth. ‘And I will sashay up and down for all her party guests in my beautiful outfit. Give them all something to look at,’ she grumbles. ‘I’ll tell them it’s the new season’s look. And then, hopefully, they’ll all rush out and all be looking like clowns by next week. I’ll show them what Flawless is all about.’”

In this passage, Summer shows her awareness of the Flawed system’s absurdity. Her plan to manipulate people into making themselves look ridiculous is a sly rebellion against social norms and evidence of how she supports Celestine. She subverts the meaning of “Flawless,” highlighting how meaningless the Flawed/flawless designations are.

“I’ve learned that people aren’t cruel. Most people aren’t, anyway, apart from the Logans, the Colleens, the Gavins, and the Natashas of the world, but people are strong on self-preservation. And if something doesn’t directly affect them, they don’t get involved. I should know; I was like that up until last month. Those who do get involved usually have an agenda.”

Reflecting on human nature, Celestine realizes that the world is not built on inherently unbiased, logical systems, but revolves on complicated, fallible humans. More specifically, Celestine realizes that though most people are not cruel, they are inherently selfish. This passage also displays Celestine’s honesty, as she admits that she also prioritized self-preservation above everything until recently. Celestine’s direct confrontation of her previous behavior demonstrates her character’s growth and the reorientation of her moral compass.

“We see being Flawed as a strength, Celestine. If you make a mistake, you learn from it. If you never make a mistake, you’re never the wiser. These so-called perfect leaders we have now have never made a mistake. How can they have learned what’s right and wrong, how could they have learned anything about themselves? About what they feel comfortable doing, about what they feel is beyond the scope of their character? The more mistakes you have made, the more you have learned.”

This is the first time a character explicitly refers to being Flawed as a positive thing, offering a new perspective to Celestine. Alpha explains the necessity for learning and growth to drive progress, something which the Flawed system prevents. This reinforces how the Guild is an oppressive authority that enforces social order by denying the possibility for change and accountability.

“The way she’s looking at me I know I have to sit up and listen. I know it has begun. It’s time to take control of myself now.”

Celestine’s self-identity and character growth reach a turning point. For the first time, she decides to become an active participant in the fight against the Guild rather than being passively used by others to further their agendas. Her repetition of “I know” emphasizes her Self-Agency.

“I often think you’re more clever than you let on, and other times I think you’re a child who has found herself in a situation that is so much bigger than she and has no idea what to do.”

Alpha summarizes Celestine’s character, who at this point in the story still oscillates between two opposites—an intelligent young woman and a passive, confused child. This highlights Celestine’s struggle to gain Self-Agency as she tries to reconcile her astute perception of her situation with her lack of control.