A Court of Thorns and Roses

Nearly all of the characters in A Court of Thorns and Roses must make significant sacrifices to protect those they love. The opening scene of the novel models Maas’s portrayal of sacrifice throughout: Feyre risks her own life to feed her family, killing the faerie wolf despite the unknown consequences. Maas emphasizes the selfless nature of Feyre’s actions through the ingratitude of her father and sisters. Feyre is not motivated by reward or thanks, only by her drive to provide for her family and fulfill her promise to her mother. As Feyre explains to Tamlin, “When you’re responsible for lives other than your own […] You do what you have to do” (106). Maas portrays self-sacrifice as the highest form of love, as Feyre shows the same willing engagement with difficult decisions in her quest to save Tamlin at the end of the novel. Though Feyre is motivated by her love for Tamlin and her desire for a real relationship with him, she is willing to sacrifice herself and their future together for his own good and for the freedom of the Spring Court. Feyre even sees the security of those she loves as justification for moral transgressions and is willing to kill innocents twice in the novel.