Even though the story takes place in a fantasy world, the totalitarian government of the Protectorate is far from fictitious as numerous countries around the world are run in a similar way.
Language plays an important part in securing the rule of the government. For example, the land is called the “Protectorate,” which may positively suggest that it is protected, whereas the term actually means that the land is not ruled by its own people but by someone else. In fact, the ruling class, an elite circle of very few people, is called the “Elders,” which connotes wisdom and life experience. However, they do not intend to use their wisdom (if they have any) for the benefit of their people; instead, they ensure their continuous rule by a range of measures.
Firstly, they allow only a handful of carefully selected apprentices to join their ranks.
Secondly, they own most of the property, including “the Road. Which is to say that Grand Elder Gherland owned the Road, and the other Elders had their cut. The Elders owned the Bog, too. And the orchards. And the houses. And the market squares. Even the garden plots.“ Therefore, they keep their subjects poor, while “the Elders and their families grew big and strong and rosy-cheeked on beef and butter and beer.” Due to their poverty, the common people are only focused on surviving and do not have the time or energy to follow their own dreams or question the government, which the Grand Elder praises thus: “They learn to accept their lot in life. They learn that any action is inconsequential. Their days remain, as they should be, cloudy. There is no greater gift than that.”
The third measure of securing power is discouraging questions. At the beginning of the novel, the unidentified parent ends the child’s questioning by saying, “Enough questions. Off with you. Fool child,” which proves that the Elders effectively brainwashed their subjects.
Fourthly, education as a possible way out of poverty is merely a facade. When Antain is worried about missing his lessons, the Grand Elder explains: “There is no need to be in school in the first place. The purpose of this structure is to house and amuse those who have no futures until they are old enough to work for the benefit of the Protectorate.” This shows that any kind of education is merely a means of passing time and without value for the students who attend school.
Finally, the Elders try to keep their subjects in a constant state of fear so it appears as if the people need the Elders to protect them against the witch, who the Elders think is not real. In order to keep the people safe, they must sacrifice a baby every year, a procedure that they do not question at all.
Little do they know that the witch is indeed real, and her saving the sacrificed children leads to the collapse of the ruling class like a house of cards.
