Gods & Monsters
What It Is to Drown
by Mahurin, ShelbyThe chapter depicts a brutal and surreal struggle between Lou and Nicholina, set against a backdrop of swirling, chaotic waters and fragmented memories. As Lou grapples with Nicholina, she realizes the only way to defeat her is by drowning her in overwhelming emotion rather than physical force. The currents around them carry flashes of past events—faces, landscapes, and sensations—that disorient Lou while she fights to maintain control. Nicholina, feral and relentless, attacks with teeth and claws, forcing Lou to confront the terrifying possibility of losing herself in the process of subduing her adversary.
Lou’s strategy shifts as she weaponizes Nicholina’s own shame, using it to destabilize her. The scene transitions to a bloodied temple, where Nicholina’s past atrocities are laid bare, including the murder of her sisters and her loyalty to the sinister La Voisin. Lou exploits Nicholina’s internal conflict, taunting her with the inevitability of her demise, whether by La Voisin’s hand or Lou’s. The tension escalates as Nicholina’s rage and fear consume her, blurring the line between predator and prey in their deadly dance.
The confrontation reaches a climax as Lou, nearly strangled, goads Nicholina into a fatal mistake. By invoking the name of Nicholina’s lost lover, Mathieu, Lou triggers a reckless fury that breaks Nicholina’s focus. Seizing the opportunity, Lou reverses their positions and gains the upper hand. The chaos momentarily pauses when La Voisin reveals an unconscious woman—Coco—whose presence shocks Lou. This distraction nearly costs Lou her victory, but she regains control, only to be plunged back into the watery abyss by Nicholina’s desperate counterattack.
The final segment thrusts them into a shattered room in Chasseur Tower, where Lou continues her psychological assault, reminding Nicholina of her isolation and impending doom. The chapter ends mid-action, with Lou wielding a broken bedpost as a weapon, underscoring the raw, visceral nature of their conflict. The narrative leaves the outcome unresolved, heightening the sense of desperation and the high stakes of their battle, both physical and psychological.
FAQs
1. How does Lou use Nicholina’s emotions against her in their struggle?
Answer:
Lou weaponizes Nicholina’s own shame and fear to gain the upper hand in their physical and psychological battle. Recognizing that Nicholina feels deep shame about killing their sisters despite her claims otherwise, Lou actively fans this emotion “like a knife, cutting through the quick of her” (p. 198). She later provokes Nicholina’s rage and fear of death by mentioning Mathieu’s name, knowing this will push her into reckless violence that Lou can exploit. This emotional manipulation proves more effective than physical combat alone, as it destabilizes Nicholina’s self-control and loyalty to La Voisin.2. What significant revelation occurs when La Voisin reveals the unconscious woman’s face?
Answer:
The chapter’s pivotal moment comes when La Voisin reveals the unconscious woman to be Coco (p. 200). This creates profound confusion for Lou, who initially denies the possibility, thinking it must be someone who merely resembles Coco. The revelation suggests deeper connections between the characters and timelines than previously understood, implying Coco’s involvement in past events at Chateau le Blanc. This moment also serves as a distraction that allows Nicholina to regain the upper hand, dragging Lou back into the metaphorical “waters” of their struggle.3. Analyze the symbolic significance of water and drowning in this chapter.
Answer:
Water serves as a multifaceted metaphor throughout the chapter, representing both danger and transformation. The “currents” symbolize overwhelming emotional states and memories (“fragments of faces, bits of skyline”) that threaten to drown Lou’s identity (p. 197). Lou’s realization that she could “drown [Nicholina] instead—if not in water, then in emotion” (p. 198) reframes drowning as an active weapon rather than passive victimhood. The fluid imagery reflects the chapter’s themes of psychological fluidity between characters and the dissolution of boundaries between past/present, physical/emotional, and victim/aggressor.4. How does Lou’s fighting strategy evolve during her confrontation with Nicholina?
Answer:
Lou’s strategy progresses through three distinct phases: Initially, she tries conventional resistance (“swam against the current”), then shifts to working with forces beyond her control (“swam with the current”). Her most effective tactic emerges when she stops resisting and instead redirects Nicholina’s own violence against her—provoking Nicholina to choke her to the brink of death, then exploiting that overcommitment to reverse their positions (p. 199-200). This mirrors her emotional strategy, demonstrating Lou’s growing understanding that victory requires working with an opponent’s momentum rather than opposing it directly.5. What does the chapter reveal about Nicholina’s conflicting loyalties and motivations?
Answer:
Nicholina exhibits torn allegiances that Lou skillfully exploits. While fiercely loyal to La Voisin (“Our mistress will understand,” p. 199), she harbors deep shame about past actions and unresolved grief over Mathieu’s death. Lou identifies these fractures, noting Nicholina’s fear contradicts her claims of feeling “no shame” (p. 198). The chapter reveals Nicholina as ultimately self-conflicted—her bloodlust wars with self-preservation instincts, her devotion to La Voisin conflicts with personal trauma, and her aggression masks profound fear. These contradictions make her vulnerable to Lou’s psychological attacks.
Quotes
1. “How could I exorcise her without drowning myself in the process?”
This quote captures the central dilemma of the chapter—Lou’s struggle to defeat Nicholina without losing herself in the battle. It reflects the physical and emotional stakes of their confrontation, framed through the metaphor of drowning.
2. “I could drown her instead—if not in water, then in emotion. Perhaps both.”
A pivotal moment where Lou shifts her strategy, deciding to weaponize Nicholina’s own emotions against her. This marks a turning point in their conflict and introduces the theme of emotional warfare as a means of survival.
3. “This shame—it became a weapon in my hands, and I wielded it like a knife, cutting through the quick of her.”
This powerful metaphor illustrates Lou’s psychological tactics against Nicholina, demonstrating how emotions can be transformed into literal weapons in their supernatural struggle. It highlights the chapter’s exploration of internal battles manifesting externally.
4. “Kill me, or I’ll kill you. […] Either way, you die.”
A climactic moment of confrontation where Lou embraces fatalism to gain the upper hand. This exchange represents the ultimate test of wills between the characters and underscores the life-or-death nature of their conflict.
5. “You’re alone. Your lover, your son—they’re gone. They’re dead.”
This brutal declaration represents Lou’s final psychological assault on Nicholina, targeting her deepest vulnerabilities. It showcases how personal losses and isolation become weapons in their battle, tying into the chapter’s themes of grief and vengeance.