51 pages 1 hour read

Kate DiCamillo

The Beatryce Prophecy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Symbols & Motifs

The Chronicles of Sorrowing

The Chronicles of Sorrowing is the book of prophecy at the center of the conflict in The Beatryce Prophecy, so named because the majority of the prophecies it contains are sorrowful ones of death and destruction. Within the frame of the story, the book embodies the theme Destiny Is a Choice, and the decisions the characters make about the prophecies in the chronicle’s pages represent how nothing is certain. The prophecies in the book are vague, which means they can be easily manipulated and made to mean whatever someone wishes them to mean. The counselor does this in his plan to exact revenge on Beatryce’s family, but blatantly manipulating vagueness is not the only way the prophecies may be used. Beatryce and her group also manipulate prophecies by ignoring them, thus taking away their power. By choosing not to validate the Chronicles of Sorrowing, the characters force society to acknowledge that prophecies are meaningless and that people can make their own choices.

Within the story and as a representation of real life, the Chronicles of Sorrowing represent the darkness in the world and how people can bring light. Much like sensationalist news media, the Chronicles of Sorrowing focus heavily on bad outcomes and negative possibilities.

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By Kate DiCamillo