In R.F. Kuang’s Babel, language is power and power is never neutral.

Background  

It takes place in 19th century Oxford where magic becomes the driving force of civilization and is harnessed through play on linguistics. The story follows Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan that was brought to Britain by a language professor, raised to serve the british empire in increasing its power through linguistics. 

An Usual Approach in using magic 

In this book, magic is harnessed through approximating the meaning of multiple languages, old and/or new, each etched on the different sides of a silver bar. The author narratively explained that the magic comes from capturing the pure meaning-a language in between, where all concepts are perfectly expressed-that is lost between translations of different languages; because there's always something lost in translation. 

The power of language 

According to the book, language evolves over time, as the speakers become more worldly and sophisticated, language morphs to grasp new concepts and details so that there's less room for miscommunication. In linguistics, translation becomes an Intricate playground of grasping the true meaning of the original concept trying to be conveyed. 

This is well explained by the author himself in the quote: 

"I think translation can be much harder than original composition in many ways. The poet is free to say whatever he likes. Word choice, word order, sound - they all matter, and without any one of them the whole thing falls apart. So the translator needs to be the translator, literary critic, and poet all at once - he must read the original well enough to understand all the machinery at play, to convey its meaning with as much accuracy as possible, then rearrange the translated meaning into an aesthetically pleasing structure in the target language that, by his judgement, matches the original." -robin swift 

Characters 

The book consists of Robin Swift as the main character, his friend group of 4, and Professor Lovell-the professor that adopted Robin. 

Character development 

We can see Robin Swift's character development throughout the story in how he navigates through his struggle with identity and moral value in the face of British imperial dominance. In the beginning, he was obedient and grateful to Professor Lovell for taking him in and giving him a life he would've never had. He was an eager student, raised to serve the British empire in the impression for a noble cause. But as time passed and numerous conversations took place, he began to see the exploitation of himself and his friends, to give in to the system that has kept his native nation and other ethnic countries powerless against the British dominance. Through friendships, betrayal, and exposure to resistance movements, Robin gradually transforms into someone willing to risk everything for what he believes is right. moral awakening. 

Rating 

4.5/5; The plot moves at a well-balanced pace, enriched by references to real historical events, while the author's masterful use of language and sentence structure makes the complex backgrounds of each character easily understood for the readers. 

 Moral 

The moral of Babel is that silence and neutrality in the face of injustice are forms of complicity, and true change often requires sacrifice. It teaches that knowledge and language are powerful tools that can be used to either uphold or dismantle systems of oppression, and that fighting for justice sometimes means rejecting comfort, privilege, or the very systems that raised you. The novel urges readers to question who benefits from power and to choose resistance when faced with exploitation and inequality.