Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a prominent theme in Chain of Iron as several characters struggle to attain it from their friends and families. Clare demonstrates that forgiveness of one’s mistakes is a powerful tool in building up one’s confidence and sense of dignity, thus characters who struggle with accepting themselves like Matthew Fairchild and Alastair Carstairs demonstrate a desperate bid for forgiveness at various points in the novel.

Matthew accidentally killed his unborn sibling after putting what he thought was a truth poison in his mother’s food. His sense of guilt drives him to drink copious amounts of alcohol and act recklessly because he believes only forgiveness can save him – yet forgiveness is precisely what he thinks he does not deserve. His confidence and sense of dignity are shattered, and Clare writes that he can barely communicate his emotions to Cordelia: “It was as if...