Princess Academy

Mount Eskel is a symbol of the strength, resilience, and loyalty of its people. It also serves as a motif supporting the theme of The Impact of Community on Individual Identity. As Miri studies at the academy, she becomes increasingly intrigued by the possibility of living in the lowlands, but the mountain anchors her sense of self. She often hears the mountain outside and decides that “she [i]s not ready to give up on the mountain completely, not ready to give up on her pa” (113). Miri fondly associates the mountain with home, security, and family, so she is hesitant to leave it behind. 

Though Miri occasionally entertains the idea of a different life in another place, her connection to the mountain deepens through the novel. Particularly when the bandits take the academy hostage, she uses quarry-speech to get Peder and the villagers to rescue them. This experience clarifies her feelings, and she realizes that the mountain is her home and where she truly belongs. Mount Eskel and its people have supported and loved her for her whole life. She describes the shadow of the mountain as resembling “a comforting arm” (348), establishing that the mountain, like the villagers, is a support system that has always provided her with peace and a sense of belonging.