55 pages • 1 hour read
Tricia LevensellerDaughter of the Pirate King
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Sirens
Sirens serve as a motif for the theme of Appearance as a Weapon. Whereas the myths surrounding mermaids typically portray the creatures as beautiful yet harmless, sirens are known to weaponize beauty to lure sailors to their deaths and thus are often considered to be evil beings. In a patriarchal society such as Alosa’s, sirens are also symbolic of the consequences of men acting impulsively on their sexual desires, an issue that Alosa and other women in the pirate profession often encounter.
In the world of Daughter of the Pirate King, sirens have the reputation of being “the deadliest creatures to man” (55). Their extreme beauty is a cautionary tale to pirates and honest sailors alike, warning all men not to be enchanted by their extreme beauty or compelling siren song. In this world, the most beautiful women have the most power because of their ability to use their allure to trick men into running uninhibited toward certain death. By playing into the desires of pirates, who often take what they desire without consent or forethought, sirens have the deadliest weapons at their disposal. Alosa uses her own siren abilities to survive on the Night Farer and to obtain an advantage over its crew. By appearing “soft and graceful” and ensuring that her “movements are fragile and angelic” (177), Alosa weaponizes her own appearance to manipulate the men’s perception of her, thereby gaining access to Draxen and additional opportunities to search for and locate the map.
In the tales, sirens are accused of singing to sailors, “promising them pleasure and wealth if they will jump into the sea” (55). However, in the story that Alosa relates to Riden about her conception, her father and his crew came upon women bathing in a lagoon on an uncharted island. The men, “thinking that they’d go and have some fun” (306), jumped in and pursued the women, who then acted in self-defense and in retribution for the men’s wicked intentions. The primary trend in Alosa’s world is to blame the siren women for murder and condemn them as evil, but as Alosa points out, “Would you say it is any more terrible than the intentions of the men who started for them in the first place?” (307). In this interpretation, it can be inferred that in the sirens’ way of life, their beauty and their powers are natural defense mechanisms that have been weaponized to ensure their safety and survival from the pirates that ruthlessly pursue them.
Accessories
Alosa’s prioritization of accessorizing is a symbol to emphasize that a single person can display both traditionally feminine and traditionally masculine traits, for just as she fights with the strength and skill of many men, she also displays a fondness for maximizing her own physical appearance with accessories. Levenseller has a love for pirate stories and was inspired by the story of a real female pirate named Ching Shih, who rose from a lowly position as a sex worker to become the captain of over 80,000 men. As a lover of historical settings and a devoted advocate for strong female protagonists, Levenseller drew upon her research to create the character of Alosa and to prove that women can enjoy aspects of traditional femininity while also possessing qualities traditionally thought to be more befitting of men—such as brutality, talent in swordsmanship, and excellent leadership.
From the first chapter Alosa thinks, “I hate having to dress like a man” (1), before continuing to complain about the poor fit and horrible smell of the boy’s clothes she wears as a disguise. When she is captured by Draxen, her demand for her accessories and other belongings becomes a key part of her negotiations. Draxen is incredulous but allows her to have her possessions brought onboard the Night Farer. However, while Alosa objectively prizes her hygiene and her fashion accessories, they always serve a hidden purpose. For example, her suggestive green outfit is meant to arouse the impulsive sexual desires of male pirates to her advantage. Her books likewise hide weapons, poisons, and tools that she uses to break out of her cell. Just as Riden “wears his confidence as if it is merely another article of clothing upon his person” (19), the accessories that Alosa chooses to wear effectively remind the characters around her of her feminine side even when her internal thoughts and external actions showcase her more traditionally “masculine” traits. While it is easy for the men aboard the Night Farer to see Alosa’s accessories and her romantic feelings for Riden as innately feminine weakness that render her inferior, her actions prove that such attributes effectively coincide with her cleverness, cunning, and physical skill and strength.
Treasure Map
The legendary treasure map symbolizes Alosa’s journey to discover who she truly is. In Chapter 3, Alosa mentions that she has never met her mother, but “her father tells [Alosa she] received [her] red hair from her” (29). In terms of her identity and her life, Alosa holds the last third of the map: the final destination. However, she has no inkling of how she or her father came to this point. The duology serves as her journey toward finding all the pieces of her own map and finally understanding all aspects of her siren ancestry, her parents, and her identity.
As she gathers more pieces to the metaphorical “map” of her own history, Alosa’s perception of the route changes. Just as the pirate king finds danger lurking at the end of his own section of the treasure map, the discoveries that Alosa makes while traversing her own journey become life-altering. The discovery of her father’s betrayal and the bounds of his cruelty are faced fully in the sequel, but at this point in the story, her growing romance with Riden and the pressure she feels to succeed in her mission represent the first challenges to her dedicated Loyalty as Familial Duty to an undeserving father. When time counts down to the moment that Alosa must present the brothers’ section of the map to her father, she has nightmares of him “[s]creaming at [her] from where [she] rest[s] behind bars” (277-88). The nightmare symbolizes the ways in which the pirate king uses Alosa for her siren power, and this dream imagery implies her emotional servitude to a man who does not deserve her regard, an issue that will be more fully explored in the sequel.
When Alosa struggles with her feelings toward Riden, she risks taking a path that her father would disapprove of. Her conflicts resemble the uncertainty involved with going off course and journeying into uncharted territory. Riden is observant of Alosa’s power in a way that no one has ever been before, and his acceptance and support of her siren nature, despite its dangers to him as a human man, provide Alosa with the courage to seek out the rest of her map in hopes that it will bring her to the sirens of the Isla de Canta, where she might potentially meet her mother, the siren queen, and learn more about the circumstances of her birth. The allure of the treasure also represents the pull that Alosa feels toward her siren side. In this context, the corruptive power of owning an immense treasure also relates to the corruptive power that Alosa’s siren side has on her human half.
