Fledgling

Throughout Fledgling, Shori Matthews struggles with her sense of Morality and growing willingness to kill for her symbionts. She initially feels remorseful and disgusted with herself for killing her brother’s symbiont Hugh Tang in the cave, despite having forgotten him at the time. She also feels guilty for feeding from Wright and Theodora, failing to recognize her father and brother, and causing humans pain through her bite compulsions. However, other characters recognize Shori as honest and straightforward: “She’s shown herself to be a weirdly ethical little thing most of the time” (162). Yet, her symbionts—especially Wright—still struggle to adapt to their roles in the family. Shori does what she can to put Wright at ease, even while battling her own sense of responsibility. Her Ina duties to her symbionts seem to call for violence, as seen in her killing of several human assailants and Katharine Dahlman. Shori has trouble reconciling her sense of right and wrong with these acts because she has shown herself to be a moral leader. Ultimately, her acknowledging her discomfort with killing is a sign of emotional growth. She is willing to sacrifice her moral superiority to protect her symbionts and fulfill her role as an Ina leader.