Loss is very difficult to deal with, and certain people face loss in different ways. In the Legend trilogy, consisting of the three books Legend, Prodigy, and Champion, loss is one of the most prevalent themes, as the two main characters, Day and June, both encounter loss in many forms throughout the series. Both of them lose people very close to them during the series, and are driven to avenge them, but end up uncovering more and more about their government, and end up getting involved in the problems of the government, like plague outbreaks and war. Day and June face their losses in very different ways. Day becomes more caring towards those he loves, while June becomes more distrustful of those around her, and more serious and aggressive.
During the events of the Legend trilogy, Day grows into a more thoughtful and caring character, particularly towards his brother Eden and his close friend Tess. For example, during the beginning of Champion, the fate of the Republic, the country that the story takes place in, possibly depends on whether or not Eden can help to create a cure for a plague outbreak sweeping across a neighboring country. However, Day is completely unwilling to allow anyone to borrow his brother, to the point where he immediately refuses at the mention of his brother's name. Day obviously cares about his brother, and is willing to sacrifice a lot in order to protect him. Also, when talking with Tess, Day becomes more remorseful over the things he says to Tess, as he is trying to make up for leaving her to help June. This shows that he truly cares for Tess, and wants to do everything in his power to help her.
On the contrary, June grows more aggressive and distrustful of people. Unlike Day, June lost her parents at a young age, and the loss of Metias, her older brother, drove her to become more aggressive since June had no one left who was close to her after the death of her brother. First, when Thomas, her old friend, is being sentenced to death for killing Metias, June thinks to herself, "I could be compassionate. I could ask Anden to spare his life and let him live out his years in prison, and give him a chance to redeem himself. But instead I just stand there with my closed lips and unwavering posture, my heart hard as stone."(Pg.30) This shows that even though June was good friends with Thomas in the past, she still can't forgive him for the fact that he killed Metias, even though she wants to help him. Second, when June is around Commander Jameson, the person who was primarily the cause behind the murder of Metias, she is completely on edge and has an intense hatred for her. This shows that June has no compassion for her and just wants to see her dead, and doesn't care about what Commander Jameson has to say.
To sum up, Day and June face their losses in completely different ways. Day becomes more compassionate, while June becomes more hateful towards those around her. This is an example of how people can interpret similar situations in different ways. Day and June saw very similar things throughout the story, but they both change in completely opposite ways. While other factors still affect this change, it is ultimately up to the person to decide how they will interpret certain situations.
