Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy details the subjugation of the
Orogenes and the Tuners at the hands of the Stills and the
Sylanagistines. In this essay, I contend that Jemisin’s trilogy
suggests that the violence used by the Orogenes and Tuners is not
only an effective means to defeat their respective oppressors; it is
also a tool to create hope for a more egalitarian society for all.
Although Jemisin’s trilogy ends before a more equal society can
be formed, I claim readers can infer that it is through the use of
violence that there now exists the potential for both oppressor and
oppressed to be free, autonomous individuals and learn from the
past to prevent history from continuing to repeat itself. Through
the analysis of Jemisin’s trilogy, this essay aims to argue that not
all violence inherently equals destruction.