55 pages • 1 hour read
Richelle MeadVampire Academy
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 16-19Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary
Academy gossip shifts to focus on Aaron and Lissa, who have rekindled their romance after Aaron broke up with Mia. Rose is disturbed that Lissa seems to be doing this for revenge rather than any legitimate interest in Aaron. Rose seeks out Ms. Carmack, who teaches “elemental basics,” and asks about St. Vladimir’s magical specialization. When pressed, Ms. Carmack tells Rose that St. Vladimir’s healing was religious in origin, rather than elemental. Ms. Carmack surmises that Rose is worried about Lissa and urges her to be patient. However, when Rose asks about Ms. Karp, Ms. Carmack grows uncomfortable, citing the mysterious teacher as one of the rare cases in which someone never specialized in a particular type of magic.
Rose urges Lissa to stop “Project Brainwash,” claiming that Lissa will be happier if she stops using compulsion. When Lissa counters that she is happy, Rose reveals her theory about Ms. Karp and St. Vladimir having the same powers. She emphasizes that both adults showed signs of self-harm. Lissa fears that she shares Ms. Karp’s mental health condition even as she paradoxically takes comfort in the idea that she is not alone in experiencing such strange powers.
Rose encourages Lissa to give up her quest for popularity, saying she needn’t try to fill the shoes of her late brother, Andre. Lissa counters that, as a royal, she needs to make connections but agrees to stop using her powers.
Rose is surprised to find herself wishing that she hadn’t separated Lissa and Christian. When she encounters Christian shortly thereafter, she apologizes, but he refuses to spend time with Lissa now that she has returned to her “Princess Lissa” role. He confesses that he didn’t understand how his parents changed after they became Strigoi; to him, the guardians who killed his parents were the real murderers. Rose regrets her role in ruining one of his positive relationships. Christian concedes that he will try to talk to Lissa if the opportunity arises; he knows about her self-harm and encourages Rose to seek the aid of an adult. Although he and Rose are not exactly friends, they now feel like reluctant allies.
Chapter 17 Summary
Lissa tells Rose that Dimitri and Victor are petitioning Kirova to let Rose leave campus to shop for an upcoming dance, as part of Lissa’s protection detail. However, the promise of this outing is derailed when Lissa finds a dead dove in her backpack. Rose stops Lissa just before she attempts to save the bird with her powers. Natalie walks in on this scene and is disgusted by the sight. Rose privately frets that someone saw Lissa resurrect the raven two years prior.
To Rose’s surprise, the shopping excursion is approved. Their large group includes Rose, Dimitri, Lissa, Victor, Natalie, Camille (their classmate), and several more guardians. During the long drive, Victor pays Lissa abundant attention, making Natalie jealous. Another guardian reflects on the likelihood that Rose and Dimitri will be “guarding partners” after Rose and Lissa graduate, causing both Rose and Dimitri to reflect on their mutual attraction.
Dimitri warns Rose that most Strigoi were previously Moroi or dhampirs and tells her that she cannot risk hesitating when trying to kill a Strigoi, even if it once was someone she knew. He states that killing a forcibly turned Strigoi is a mercy. Rose feels a deepening connection to Dimitri and appreciates how seriously he takes his role as guardian. They both admit that if they became Strigoi, they would want someone to kill them. Meanwhile, Victor tells Lissa that Ms. Karp intentionally became a Strigoi and was subsequently killed by her lover, Mikhail, who was also a guardian.
When the group arrives at the mall, Rose enjoys the feeling of normalcy that comes with this typical teen activity, even as she is careful to keep up her guardianship obligations. Lissa notes that Rose’s purchasing habits have become more practical since they returned from their time out in the world. Lissa criticizes Rose’s decision not to tell her about Ms. Karp, causing Rose to think back to Lissa’s emotionally fragile state prior to their flight from the Academy. At the time, Rose feared that Lissa’s similarities to Ms. Karp would make Lissa also want to become a Strigoi, which strengthened her resolve to leave.
The narrative returns to the present moment. Rose buys a dress that she loves. Lissa tries to purchase her a necklace but balks at the price. When they return to the school, Rose jumps between benches, and the wood suddenly dissolves, causing her ankle to snap. She falls unconscious.
Chapter 18 Summary
Rose wakes in the medical clinic and is surprised when her foot feels fine. Dimitri reports that she wasn’t seriously injured, which Rose knows to be impossible. She pushes this concern aside, distracted by the embarrassment of being “taken down by a bench” (246). Dimitri cheers her with presents, including the expensive necklace, which Victor has purchased. Dimitri also bought her lip gloss, and she hugs him, surprising them both. They gaze intently at one another. The clinic doctor enters, joking about the difference between how upset Rose acted at her initial intake and the actual injury to her foot. The doctor references the car accident, and Rose admits that she “shouldn’t have survived” (250) that experience. He jokes about Rose having a “guardian angel,” which Rose initially dismisses before thinking about Lissa. She realizes that the only reason she survived the car accident is because Lissa (unknowingly) healed her.
Rose enters Lissa’s mind and finds her friend crying in the chapel attic. Christian enters the chapel, accidentally admitting that Rose came between them. Christian comments on the uncommon intensity of the friendship between Rose and Lissa. He also reports that Mia’s animosity is based on the fact that Lissa’s brother, Andre, dated and then unceremoniously broke up with Mia, citing her poor connections as the reason. Lissa instinctively rejects this account of her brother’s cruelty, though she is not certain if she believes it or not. They quarrel about Lissa’s supposed attraction to Aaron, and the argument leads to a kiss. The two argue more before Christian leaves. Lissa feels overwhelmed by her emotions, which leads her to self-harm. Rose struggles to return to her own body. When she succeeds, she finds Dimitri shaking her. Rose insists that they go help Lissa.
Chapter 19 Summary
Rose feels conflicted, knowing that Lissa’s struggles stem from saving Rose during the car accident. Rose also wonders whether it was the right choice to disclose Lissa’s self-harm to Dimitri. Lissa is angry that Rose has revealed this secret and asks if Rose intends to tell Dimitri about her healing powers as well. Rose is seriously considering this option because she is alarmed by Lissa’s increasing emotional struggles. Lissa fears that she will suffer the same treatment as Ms. Karp.
Gossip about Lissa’s injury and her falling-out with Rose spreads throughout the school. Without Lissa’s social clout to quell Rose’s detractors, derogatory rumors about Rose also resurface. Mia approaches Rose, asking if she seeks revenge, but Rose dismisses her. Rose plans to forego the school dance entirely until Mason arrives at her door, urging her to attend with him and a group of guardian students. She agrees, and on the way, they encounter Dimitri and Alberta, another guardian. Rose notes the way Dimitri admires her appearance. At the dance, Mason drags Rose over to speak with Jesse and Ralf, who apologize for spreading rumors, saying they only did it at Mia’s behest in exchange for her willingness to have sex with them.
Chapters 16-19 Analysis
This portion of the novel addresses questions of loyalty and the fear of feeling alone in matters of mental health conditions. Within the context of the narrative, Lissa’s fears in this regard highlight the social stigma that still lingers around mentions of mental health topics, even as her relief in not being the sole person to experience these difficulties gives her hope. In Chapter 16, for example, Lissa feels heartened by Rose’s conviction that Ms. Karp’s affliction is the same magical problem that Lissa now faces. Although they know that Ms. Karp struggled with her mental stability, often clawing at her own face in her despair, and was eventually killed after willingly becoming a soulless Strigoi, Lissa prefers having an idea of her potential fate (even one as bleak as Ms. Karp’s) over the vast unknown that she previously faced.
This developing issue draws upon a common theme in young adult literature, which often examines its adolescent protagonists’ fears of the future as they approach the simultaneously frightening and promising prospect of adulthood and its comparative freedom. Moreover, Lissa’s fear of being alone in her troubles parallels the sense of isolation that is often experienced by those who have mental health conditions and must face the censure of societies that stigmatize such topics. Thus, Mead’s novel echoes a long history of problematic representations of “madness” in literature, for such portrayals are used to differentiate the person in question from their communities. Lissa therefore finds herself isolated and “othered” by those who do not understand her condition or the underlying reasons for it. This dynamic illustrates the downside to fulfilling the “chosen one” trope, for although Lissa may be a princess with a rare and powerful magical ability, she is isolated by the same attributes that make her special. As much as Rose may try to relate to Lissa, she can never fully understand what her best friend is going through.
However, this lack of understanding also offers Rose a more detached perspective, and when she elects to tell Dimitri about Lissa’s self-harm, she prioritizes her commitment to her charge’s well-being over her bond of friendship, acting as a true guardian to Lissa. This development reflects a central convention of young adult literature, which asserts the competence of teenagers and creates situations in which they are fully capable of saving the day, propelling the plot, and demonstrating a degree of agency that is not granted to younger children. However, as the novel also emphasizes, near-adults are not adults, and some issues, such as escalating self-harm, require the intervention of a more knowledgeable, experienced authority.
Despite Rose’s decision to act in Lissa’s best interests, Lissa becomes so overpowered by her fear of stigmatization that she sees Rose’s decision to involve school authorities is a sign of disloyalty. A tension thus emerges between Lissa’s desire to not feel alone and her instinct to conceal that which makes her different. Ultimately, however, the novel emphasizes the importance of adult intervention in certain dire circumstances, for in this case, Lissa gets the help that she needs and is prescribed antidepressants to control her urges to self-harm. However, the note at the end of the novel stating that this medication separates Lissa from her magic also takes a somewhat stigmatizing tone toward the use of antidepressants, revealing a potential bias within the broader narrative.
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