Warriors (novel Series) - Themes

Themes

A theme in the series is forbidden love, examples being Bluestar with Oakheart, Graystripe with Silverstream, Leafpool with Crowfeather, Yellowfang with Raggedstar, and Dovewing with Tigerheart. These loves were not allowed as some were with medicine cats while others were with cats in other Clans which are both against the Warrior Code, the code of honour the Clans must follow. Another theme featured in the novel is the reactions of different faiths when meeting each other. To show this, the Tribe of Rushing Water was introduced in Moonrise. In an author chat, Holmes explained that the books never say that the Clans or the Tribe of Rushing Water are right about faith, because both are "equally valid." This leads to fear and suspicion between them because they are afraid of things they do not understand. Holmes said that "ignorance is a very scary thing!" Non-belief, such as where Mothwing or Cloudtail do not believe in StarClan, is also featured in the storyline. On the other hand, Holmes said that another central theme of the series is "faith and spirituality" in StarClan. All books in the series heavily feature the influence of StarClan, not just as the cats think of them, but in terms of explicit prophecies for StarClan which inevitably come true. A few scenes actually take place within StarClan itself, with no earthly cats present as point-of-view characters. Thus, while the differences in belief is a clear minor theme, the existence of an afterlife and the influence of "cat spirits" who have passed on and yet retain their earthly identities is integral to all of the plot arcs in the series.

Another theme surfaces in how the books show characters that can be a mix of good and evil. Holmes has said she is fascinated by these "shades of gray" in personalities. Her example of this was when Bluestar, a relatively noble and honourable cat, gave up her kits for her own ambitions so an evil cat would not take over. Similarly, Holmes has also compared the theme to Brambleclaw and how nobody knew whether he was good or evil. A third major theme, often referred to as nature versus nurture, relates to whether a person is born the way he or she will be, or if other things shape that, as in the example of Brambleclaw. This theme ties into the "shades of gray" theme.

Publishers Weekly noted that friendship and responsibility were things that were taught to characters in the novels, while booksforyouths.com had a review which pointed out the idea that just as Clan cats shun house cats for their soft life, people should realise that it is necessary to experience hardships in life. A Storysnoops review noted that one of the themes was that "it doesn't matter where you come from, only who you are inside". In Dawn, the theme of cooperation is explored. The four Clans, normally hostile to each other, are forced to work together in order to find a new home. Other themes that have been pointed out include family, loss, honour, bravery, death, loyalty, and following rules.