Uprooted

The third major theme is the corrupting influence of power. This corruption manifests in a variety of forms, including the wizards’ coldness, Marek’s power hunger and cruelty, and the evil of the Wood itself, but in each case, the corrupted person or entity has become detached from their own humanity, broadly understood.

Following a conversation with Alosha and Ballo, Agnieszka makes the connection between a wizard’s power, their immortality, and their frequent lack of empathy. Because Agnieszka is an outsider—both as a poor villager and as a new witch just coming into her power—she can see this more clearly than the other wizards can. The more power and longevity they have, the more divorced they become from their own humanity; they outlive anyone they ever cared about, and this, coupled with the immense influence their abilities give them, encourages them to dehumanize those around them. Sarkan is over 150 years old and has grown distant and cold. Alosha is much older even than Sarkan and is therefore colder still; though she was once married, she has since become detached from others and is willing to throw lives away as meaningless pawns.

Marek further illustrates how power can corrupt, though his power is political and military rather than magical. He is willing to throw hundreds of lives away in the name of his own desires, first to save his mother in the Wood and later during the siege of the tower. Further, while Marek’s actions are partly motivated by love for his mother, he lacks affection or empathy for anyone else, including his own family; his first thought on hearing of his brother’s death is how he can secure the throne for himself.  The Wood itself also underscores the corrupting influence of power. Indeed, it is a literal embodiment of it, spreading its infection across the kingdom and controlling the actions of those it touches, its influence always expanding.

At the same time, counterexamples suggest that power is not always tied to corruption. The baron of the Yellow Marshes is a man with political and military power who wields his authority to assist Sarkan and Agnieszka in spite of the danger, merely because he knows it is the right thing to do. Sarkan also consciously chooses not to abuse his power. Despite his coldness, he is not heartless, and when accused of cruelty, he makes an effort to change. Moreover, though he is the most powerful wizard in the kingdom, he does not lord that power over others or wield it to enrich himself but rather uses it to protect the valley.

What separates those whom power corrupts from those it does not is, as Agnieszka sees, the very human connection and empathy the wizards have eschewed. Through her words and actions, she demonstrates that human encounters—whether within a community or family or even between strangers—counteract power’s tendency to result in cruelty and evil. For instance, she tells Alosha that people are the only thing worth holding on to, and she later tries to connect with the baron’s men before the battle at the tower. That she is ultimately able to help the Wood-queen and end their conflict once and for all illustrates how effective Agnieszka’s ability to connect and empathize with others is against corruption.