104 pages • 3 hours read
Marissa MeyerCinder
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Social Hierarchy: Humans, Cyborgs, and Androids
Citizens of the Eastern Commonwealth fall into one of three categories: human, cyborg, or android. Each category possesses a perceived level of social value, with humans at the top of the social hierarchy. Cinder is a cyborg, and although the majority of her body structure is human, the presence of synthetic aspects of her being means she is undervalued and in fact shunned for who she is. A step below cyborgs on the social hierarchy are androids. Void of human qualities, such as emotion, androids exist in society for the sole purpose of serving humans.
As a cyborg, Cinder receives continual reminders of her place in society. At home, Adri views Cinder as a burden pushed upon her by her deceased husband. Cinder’s place in the home is not one of family member; rather, she’s property Adri owns and controls. Being a cyborg makes Cinder a talented mechanic. It is Cinder’s work as a mechanic that financially supports Adri, who herself does not earn income. For Adri, Cinder is disposable; at one point, Adri threatens to deconstruct both Cinder and Iko, selling them off for parts. Adri also offers up Cinder for 
