12 Analytical Essay Prompts for Marissa Meyer's Cursed

These prompts are designed for students writing essays on Cursed, the second book in Marissa Meyer's Gilded series. Each prompt focuses on specific elements of the novel—character change, causality, relationships, contrasting scenes, themes, symbols, structure, foreshadowing, and the ending—and includes a defensible thesis direction plus evidence leads from the chapter outline. Use them alongside our study guide and thematic analyses.

1. The Unspoken Pregnancy: How Secret-Keeping Distorts Serilda and Gild's Relationship

Why This Prompt Matters: The central secret of Serilda's pregnancy drives the plot and shapes every interaction between the two protagonists. Analyzing the lie reveals how power imbalances and coercion undermine trust.

Sample Thesis Direction: Serilda's enforced silence about her pregnancy transforms her bond with Gild from mutual trust into a source of jealousy and misunderstanding, ultimately demonstrating that coercion damages even the strongest love.

Evidence Leads:

In Chapter 2, Gild expresses jealousy over Serilda's visits to the Erlking, assuming she is intimate with the king. Serilda mentally notes she cannot tell him the truth because of the Erlking's threat against the ghost children.
Chapter 12 shows Gild's nightmare—a vision of Serilda betraying him—revealing how the secret fuels his insecurity, even as they confess love after escaping drudes.
Chapter 42: After the veil separates them, Serilda finally confesses the child is Gild's, not the Erlking's. Gild's shock is followed by a vow to reclaim her body, shifting the relationship from suspicion to partnership.

2. The Erlking's Bargains: Manipulation Through Promises and Threats

Why This Prompt Matters: The Erlking consistently uses bargains to control others. Examining the patterns in his deals exposes the theme of power and the cost of false promises.

Sample Thesis Direction: The Erlking exploits others' desperation through bargains that appear generous but contain hidden costs, revealing that his power relies on trapping people in impossible choices.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 2: The Erlking forces Serilda to lie that the child is his, promising to free the children's souls.
Chapter 20: Over dinner, the Erlking admits he plans to give Serilda's child to Perchta, treating the baby as a bargaining chip.
Chapter 36-37: The Erlking bargains away his entire dark court and all ghosts to Velos for Perchta, but he keeps the children, showing he will sacrifice anyone except his own desires.
Chapter 55: Serilda uses a false surrender to trick the Erlking, mirroring his own tactics—her broken arrows bind him with the same curse he inflicted on others.

3. Storytelling as Curse and Salvation

Why This Prompt Matters: Storytelling is Serilda's defining trait, but it also caused the children's deaths. The novel consistently questions whether stories bring harm or healing.

Sample Thesis Direction: Through Serilda's journey, Meyer argues that storytelling is morally neutral—its value depends on how it is used; Serilda's lies endanger others, but her true tales become tools for understanding and liberation.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 1: Serilda acknowledges that her stories "brought her nothing but trouble" and led to the children's death. She loves them anyway.
Chapter 27: Serilda tells the ghost children the tale of Wyrdith, who chooses storytelling over interference. The children find solace in the story.
Chapter 28: Serilda reflects on Wyrdith's nature, wondering if the god also questions whether their stories bring more harm than good. This parallels her own guilt.
Chapter 47: Wyrdith tells Serilda the Stiltskin fairy tale, which explains Serilda's curse and blessing. Understanding the story gives her agency.
Chapter 56: Serilda remembers the fairy tale "Hardworking Stiltskin and the Northern Prince" to deduce the true name Rumpelstiltskin, resurrecting Gild and their daughter.

4. The Symbolism of Gold: From Thread to Chains

Why This Prompt Matters: Gold—spun, threaded, chained, and arrowed—appears throughout the novel as a multifaceted symbol. Tracing its uses illuminates the themes of power, entrapment, and freedom.

Sample Thesis Direction: Gold in Cursed represents both creation and captivity: Gild spins it as a creative gift, but the Erlking weaponizes it into chains that bind spirits, exposing how the same material can serve liberation or tyranny depending on the wielder's intent.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 1: Serilda spots a golden thread left by Gild, a sign of his presence and a loving gesture.
Chapter 11: Serilda and Gild retrieve golden swords and his kitchen ladle to break the curse, using gold as a tool.
Chapter 17: The mass grave of Gild's family is discovered; the preserved bodies still have gold-tipped arrows through them—the curse's source.
Chapter 36: The Erlking uses god-spun gold to bind his own hunters and send them to Verloren, betraying them with the same chains they trusted.
Chapter 55: Serilda uses broken gold-tipped arrows to stab the Erlking and Perchta, cursing them—the ultimate reversal.

5. Adalheid vs. Gravenstone: Two Castles, Two Kinds of Captivity

Why This Prompt Matters: The setting shifts significantly from Adalheid Castle to Gravenstone, and each represents a different quality of imprisonment. Contrasting them deepens the novel's exploration of freedom.

Sample Thesis Direction: Adalheid is a prison of memory and routine, while Gravenstone is a prison of decay and menace—but both castles trap Serilda's spirit, and her journey between them mirrors her evolving understanding of entrapment.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 3-4: In Adalheid, Serilda meets with the Erlking formally; the castle is familiar but bound by ritual and the children's presence.
Chapter 23-24: Gravenstone is revealed beneath the ashes of the spell—a petrified, buried castle with an alder tree slowly dying. Serilda feels an "oppressive" dread.
Chapter 28: Serilda notes that even the dark ones seem uneasy in Gravenstone; there are strange noises and moving objects, suggesting a different kind of haunting.
Chapter 26: Serilda explores Gravenstone and finds the lunar rotunda and a bramble-covered cave, hearing whispers of her father's voice—a more personal horror.

6. Foreshadowing Through Tapestries and Prophecies

Why This Prompt Matters: The tapestries in Gravenstone and the tapestry Erlen weaves create a web of foreshadowing that builds tension and explores fate vs. free will.

Sample Thesis Direction: The tapestries in Cursed do not show fixed futures but possibilities—Erlen's prophetic art allows the characters to see one outcome and then choose to defy it, championing free will over determinism.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 31: The Erlking's origin story: born from a child-killing king and a murderous duchess, foreshadowing his own cruelty.
Chapter 33: Serilda discovers the tapestry hall showing the Erlking chaining seven beasts (gods). The final tapestry shows Serilda holding a baby that changes under light to the huntress, foreshadowing Perchta's takeover.
Chapter 45: Gild proposes weaving a tapestry of a guaranteed future using indestructible gold. This plan directly confronts the Erlking's prophecies.
Chapter 52: Erlen shows her completed tapestry depicting Gild dying with a sword through his back while the seven gods go free. Serilda questions its accuracy because gold threads are used for the first time—suggesting the prophecy is fallible.

7. Perchta's Return: The Cost of Resurrecting a God

Why This Prompt Matters: Perchta's resurrection drives the climax but also reveals the Erlking's true priorities and the moral complexities of bringing the dead back.

Sample Thesis Direction: The Erlking's successful resurrection of Perchta shows that he values his own desire for revenge over the lives of everyone else, and Perchta's cruelty—especially toward Serilda's child—proves that resurrection without redemption only multiplies suffering.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 20: The Erlking admits his plan to capture a god, wish Perchta back, and give her Serilda's child. Serilda argues Perchta is a neglectful mother.
Chapter 36: Perchta emerges from Verloren and immediately kisses the Erlking, then attacks Serilda verbally and physically. She shows no gratitude, only contempt.
Chapter 40: Perchta stabs Serilda through the throat with a black arrow, seemingly killing her. She is merciless.
Chapter 54: Perchta kills Gild and the baby to force the veil to lower, showing she will sacrifice anyone for the Erlking's plan—including an infant.

8. The Ghost Children: Serilda's Motivation and Moral Anchor

Why This Prompt Matters: The five ghost children are the reason Serilda lies and sacrifices. Analyzing her relationship with them reveals the novel's heart and her ethical boundaries.

Sample Thesis Direction: Serilda's devotion to the ghost children drives every key decision she makes, from lying about her pregnancy to willingly giving up her body—proving that sacrificial love, not fear, is her strongest motivation.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 1: Serilda loves the children despite the physical revulsion of touching their cold, dead bodies. She feels guilty for causing their deaths.
Chapter 4: The children dub her the "Golden Queen" and Hans observes she looks like a hunter, foreshadowing her role.
Chapter 10: Serilda's decision to remain with the Erlking is partly to protect the children from being used as leverage.
Chapter 18: Agathe reveals the method to free ghosts—god-spun gold under a full moon. Serilda decides not to break her own curse until she frees the children first.
Chapter 37-38: Serilda gives her body to Perchta willingly in exchange for the children's freedom. She prioritizes their peace over her own life and future.

9. Serilda's Arc: From Liar to Heroine

Why This Prompt Matters: Serilda begins the novel trapped in lies—both told to her and told by her. Her growth is measured by her willingness to tell the truth and take risks.

Sample Thesis Direction: Serilda's transformation from a girl who uses stories to escape into a woman who uses truth to fight is complete when she publicly claims her identity, abandons her gold-spinning lie, and sacrifices herself honestly.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 2: Serilda maintains the lie of the pregnancy to Gild out of fear. She hates lying but feels she has no choice.
Chapter 10: When challenged by the Erlking about the golden figurine, Serilda spits a lie but then admits she stole gold to protect Gild. A small step toward truth.
Chapter 42: Serilda finally tells Gild the truth about the child. It's a turning point in their trust.
Chapter 55: Serilda feigns surrender to trick the Erlking, using a false story about releasing the arrow—but then she wields the truth of the curse: she breaks the arrow and binds him with it. Her last lie becomes a weapon for justice.

10. Gild's Identity: The Poltergeist Prince

Why This Prompt Matters: Gild's forgotten royal identity is a mystery that unfolds across the novel. His character arc involves reclaiming his past and choosing his future.

Sample Thesis Direction: Gild's journey from a playful poltergeist to a determined prince ready to earn his crown shows that identity is not simply inherited—it must be claimed through action and sacrifice.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 1: Serilda thinks of Gild as the "Gilded Ghost, a cursed prince" and admits she loves him. The truth is already known to her but not to him.
Chapter 13: The destroyed tapestry in the hidden room shows Gild as a living prince. He confirms the princess is his sister, but he has no memory of his prior life.
Chapter 45: He proposes weaving a tapestry to guarantee victory—this creates a chance to become king rather than remain a ghost.
Chapter 53: Gild asserts his magical claim to Serilda's firstborn child, invoking the bargain they made. This is the act of a prince protecting his family.
Chapter 56: His true name—Ermengild Rumpelstiltskin—is spoken, and he is resurrected. Identity fully restored.

11. The Erlking's Origins: How a Monster is Made

Why This Prompt Matters: The Erlking's backstory is given in the novel, complicating the idea of pure evil. Examining his origin explores the theme of nature vs. nurture and the roots of tyranny.

Sample Thesis Direction: The Erlking's birth from a loathsome king and a murderous duchess, combined with the loss of Perchta, suggests that he became a monster through both inheritance and trauma, but he chooses to remain one by refusing redemption.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 31: The Erlking tells Serilda he was born from a child-killing king and a murderous duchess, implying he was created from vice.
Chapter 24: In Gravenstone, the Erlking stares at a tapestry of himself and Perchta being tortured by drudes, appearing confused—hinting at suppressed memory or guilt.
Chapter 32: He mentions Perchta constantly, and Serilda notes his "melancholy air" in Gravenstone, suggesting grief.
Chapter 34: The Erlking offers to take Serilda to the gates of Verloren to see her father, showing a rare moment of empathy—but then coldly says he will kill her after the child is born. His dual nature is stark.

12. The Ending: True Names and the Power of Naming

Why This Prompt Matters: Cursed ends with the resurrection of Gild through his true name. This climax ties together themes of identity, memory, and love.

Sample Thesis Direction: The climactic use of Gild's true name—Ermengild Rumpelstiltskin—demonstrates that in a world of curses and lies, truth and love are the ultimate forces that break magic and restore what was lost.

Evidence Leads:

Chapter 56: Serilda remembers the Stiltskin fairy tale and her ring with an "R" to deduce the family name. Frieda recalls the lost heir's name.
Velos explains that a true name is required for resurrection; the Erlking's curse erased Gild's name, but Serilda's storytelling memory restores it.
Gild awakens, the baby cries, and the family reunites. The curse is lifted.
The chapter ends with the implication that Erlen's true name will be found next, extending the power of naming into the future.

For further study, explore our questions and answers page, character analyses for Serilda, Gild, and the Erlking, and dedicated theme pages on sacrifice and redemption, fate vs. free will, and love and loyalty.