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Summary
Part 2, Chapters 12-14
Chapter 12: No Room for Mediocrity
Citra and Rowan prepare for their first Conclave, a one-day regional assembly that occurs for scythes three times a year. They will be attending the MidMerican Conclave, which sets trends globally among scythes. Faraday cautions Rowan and Citra that they will undergo a first test and must carefully prepare because the Conclave does not standardize the test. Though the Conclave will not disqualify them for failing, there will still be consequences if they do. Citra and Rowan both study relentlessly. Rowan is not used to being so studious and Citra’s competitiveness drives her to taunt him, though she admits she would miss Rowan if he was disqualified.
H.S. Curie journal entry
Curie reflects on the quota system, which exists to balance population numbers. The exact quota differs by location, but Curie thinks it is important for scythes to glean regularly rather than rushing to complete the quota early or stalling and rushing to catch up. Despite the Thunderhead’s lack of oversight over scythes, the system does suggest the number of necessary scythes. Curie expresses concern about how many scythes the world would need to truly curb population growth.
Chapter 13: Vernal Conclave
Fulcrum City hosts the Vernal Conclave for the MidMerican Scythedom, and as a crowd gathers to witness the scythes and apprentices arriving, Faraday tells Citra and Rowan that he did not have permission to enlist two apprentices rather than one. Citra and Rowan see famous and infamous scythes, including the Grande Dame of Death, Curie, who notoriously gleaned the last American president and his cabinet, and the flamboyant Goddard, who leads the elegy of scythes responsible for mass gleanings. Faraday points out the High Blade, Xenocrates, who responds cryptically when Faraday mentions he has two apprentices. Two other apprentices, who anticipate receiving their rings and becoming junior scythes later in the day, are contemptuous toward Rowan and call him names. Faraday berates them and informs Citra and Rowan that one of the haughty apprentices did not pass the test to become a junior scythe.
The Conclave starts and Citra quickly becomes bored with the accompanying rituals. Later, the Conclave disciplines various scythes for misdeeds, and an accusation of unnecessary cruelty is anonymously leveled at Goddard. Goddard theatrically demands that his accuser reveal themself. Faraday suspects that Goddard, whom he despises, created the accusation himself to discredit future complaints. In between policy debates, the scythes and their apprentices eat, mingle, and watch product sales pitches. At one point the Weaponsmaster gleans a saleswoman with the product she is pitching, a touch poison, and she posthumously makes many sales to the impressed scythes. Later, some of the apprentices become ordained as scythes. One of the apprentices who was rude to Rowan earlier flunks out and leaves in shame. Xenocrates calls forth the remaining apprentices, including Citra and Rowan, for their examination.
H.S. Curie journal entry
Curie complains that people no longer truly fear death since it is such a remote possibility, and notes that age is now meaningless. Like many other scythes, Curie prefers to avoid appearing younger than forty. She wonders what people will be like in the future, assuming they will live even longer. She hopes people will be inspired to create great works and seek knowledge but fears they will be even more complacent and dull than they are now.
Chapter 14: A Slight Stipulation
Curie conducts the examination for eight apprentices, during which each person only receives one question. She tests some apprentices with theoretical scenarios, while others receive more standard questions about their knowledge of poisons. Curie notifies apprentices who fail the test that their mentor scythes will choose their punishment. Curie asks Citra about the worst thing she has ever done. Citra says that, as a child, she tripped another girl who had to be revived as a result, and Citra never told anybody she was responsible. Curie amazes Citra by revealing that she knows Citra is lying, and Citra fails the examination.
Out of solidarity with Citra, Rowan intentionally fails his examination by also lying when Curie asks him what he fears. Faraday chastises Rowan for his lie, saying that it revealed weakness. At the end of the examination, Rand, one of Goddard’s acolytes, objects to Faraday having two apprentices. Faraday then objects adamantly when Rand proposes that whoever wins between Citra and Rowan must glean the loser. Since there are no rules governing apprenticeship, the Conclave accepts the proposal for consideration. Rather than allowing a vote or debate, Xenocrates approves the proposal outright.
Analysis
Faraday’s dismissive reaction to Goddard illuminates their respective characters and also sets up the two scythes as foils to each other. Faraday is very concerned with treating the humans he gleans fairly and compassionately. Therefore, the revelation that Goddard is behind the cruel mass gleaning on the airplane already points to the differences between the two men. Goddard does not care about the dignity of the people he gleans because, for him, gleaning is a sport. Faraday focuses his scything work on the individuals selected for gleaning, relegating himself to the background, whereas Goddard’s priority is always himself. The abject disapproval that the usually taciturn Faraday expresses about Goddard further cements the contrast between the careless, bloodthirsty Goddard and the highly principled and merciful Faraday. Even during the Conclave, when neither scythe is gleaning, their behavior could not be more different. Goddard is flamboyant and attention-seeking, orchestrating an elaborate false accusation against himself in a sly gambit to protect himself from further reproval. Meanwhile, Faraday says little publicly. Privately, Faraday is aware that Xenocrates and the Conclave may frown on his decision to select two apprentices, but he also doesn’t lie or scheme to protect himself in the matter.
The Conclave not only illustrates that not every scythe shares Faraday’s principles but also suggests Scythedom is deeply hypocritical in its apparent devotion to ethics. Indeed, the Conclave reveals a seemingly contradictory morality to the world of scythes. On one hand, the scythes honor those they have gleaned in their rituals and seem to take their policy debates seriously. On the other hand, they seem to have no issue with the Weaponsmaster casually gleaning a saleswoman and then selling her product after her death. Further, only Faraday strenuously objects to the gruesome proposal to have the winner among his apprentices glean the loser. For all of the Conclave’s apparent concern over following the rules of Scythedom, Rand’s vicious proposal is considered acceptable, and is therefore upheld despite Faraday’s objections that it is a cruel violation of their professional ethics. In light of such behavior, the Conclave’s ritual honoring of the gleaned appears to be merely a token statement, not a deeply or sincerely held principle for many scythes.
The depiction of the Conclave reveals flaws in the scythe political system of self-governance. In her previous journal entries, Curie had expressed misgivings about how the scythes police themselves, and the Conclave in action reveals how justified her doubts are. The Conclave operates as a conventional legislative body in some ways, with members debating and voting on some policies. As Faraday notes, schemers are rarely successful at the Conclave when they make pacts among themselves, and this fact points to some conscientious effort within Scythedom to ensure the organization functions fairly and effectively. However, the Conclave is no democracy and is not immune to manipulation. Rand seems to carefully save her proposal for the end of the day, knowing that the Conclave will not run over time. Likewise, rather than deferring the proposal for the next Conclave, Xenocrates seems to relish his chance to put Faraday in his place for selecting two apprentices and railroads the proposal through the system without allowing for proper consideration. Xenocrates’ decision is not eligible for appeal. This confirms another concern of Curie’s, that scythes are not subject to a higher authority beyond the Conclave itself. Therefore, scythes have no recourse when they receive unfair or corrupt decisions.
Scythes live in near-isolation because loyalty to the profession is encouraged, sometimes to deadly lengths, over loyalty to each other. Though scythes may convene together for Conclaves, at heart they are individual operators who pride themselves on their independence in their work. The Conclave punishes problematic scythes by removing their independence and more directly overseeing their work. One of Faraday’s objections to Rand’s proposal is that it interferes with his right to conduct his apprenticeship as he sees fit. In this context, Rand’s horrifying proposal exposes a cruel logic, as her primary objection is that Citra and Rand seem too loyal to each other. In reality, Rowan’s devotion to Citra derives from a crush and an essentially kind heart, but the scythes do not value cooperation and sociality as a culture. Instead, they regard it with suspicion because their general freedom from oversight is a point of pride. Indeed, if scythes must police themselves, such a loyalty to another scythe may prove dangerous as it may cause individuals to band together, with stronger ties to each other than to the ideal of scything.
