City of Bones

Chapter 10 dives deeper into the Shadow world and its recent history. Hodge reveals that Clary’s mom was Valentine’s wife, which means Clary’s name is Fairchild rather than Fray—just another thing about her life that’s been a lie. The differences between Jace’s and Clary’s lives highlight how strict Shadowhunter culture is. While Clary has had relative freedom to do as she wished and pursue anything that interests her, Jace has been brought up to kill demons and little else. His education in combat and combat-adjacent fields (such as herbal remedies and other uses for the plants in the Institute greenhouse) have not allowed him to find what he enjoys or to explore parts of himself that are not seen as useful to the Shadowhunter cause. While Jace’s life seems restricted compared to Clary’s, the Silent Brothers make Jace appear as if he has many choices. The Silent Brothers are Shadowhunters who have taken oaths and used runes to make everything about them quiet. They are powerful librarians and warriors who have access to runic power regular Shadowhunters cannot use. Where Jace may walk among humans and be seen by them, the Silent Brothers constantly hide themselves from the human world and are not permitted to be seen as they are by the uninitiated.

The City of Bones is the domain of the Silent Brothers. The cup the angel holds is a replica of the Mortal Cup, and Clary later remembers it, which helps her realize where the real cup is hidden. The city, like the brothers, is completely silent, and while the group accesses it from New York, it is in no single place on the physical plane of existence. The city is warded by strong runes that keep it hidden and allow people to enter from anywhere. The ashes of fallen Shadowhunters are another layer of protection to keep the city hidden. While the runes give Shadowhunters supernatural abilities, their blood itself has power, which is why their dead are burned and used to continue the fight against demons by protecting the most important place of Shadowhunter power and history. Clary’s reaction to leaving the City of Bones shows how unsettling the place is. Even though she has Shadowhunter blood, she is not comfortable in the city, and the sharp contrast to New York shows how deathly quiet and sterile the City of Bones is.

The scene in the restaurant in Chapter 11 shows the dynamics between the teenagers shifting again. Alec is at his most vibrant when interacting with Jace, showing how strong feelings bring out our most true selves. While Jace cares for Alec, he does not reciprocate Alec’s feelings, and while Alec is animated, Jace seems to only tolerate Alec rather than engage with him. Alec and Isabelle’s reaction to Jace being nice to the Down-worlder staff is another example of Shadowhunter bias. The Shadowhunters believe the Down-worlders have the right to live their lives so long as they aren’t involved with Shadowhunters. Isabelle and Alec’s parents were part of Valentine’s coalition against Down-worlders and shared his beliefs, a sentiment they have carried forward, and Alec and Isabelle’s attitude shows how people inherit biases and prejudices from their parents/role models.

The interactions between Jace and Clary in the latter half of Chapter 11 show the budding romance between them. Jace goes to Clary’s room in hopes of learning more about her and seeing her there. The story he tells is later revealed to be a true tale from his childhood and one of the ways Clary realizes that Jace believes Valentine is his father. The story highlights Jace’s conflict with feeling love and how he believes love makes him weak, which is why he is so hesitant to show Clary how he feels. The look he gives Clary when she’s dressed for the party shows his attraction to her, as does how he undoes her hair. He gives her the knife to protect herself because providing weapons as a means of protection is how he understands showing affection.