Red Rising is set in a world in which human beings have changed form. Each person belongs to a Color, which designates appearance, status, and occupation within the Society. Darrow, a Red with rust eyes and hair, belongs to the lowest caste. As Darrow gazes Yorkton, he sees “Color-coded lamps along the lower levels—Yellow, Blue, Orange, Green, Pink, a hundred shades of a dozen Colors to form a hierarchy so complex, so alien, I scarcely think it a human concept” (68). The city also affords Darrow glimpses of Green shops, Pink brothels, and the world of Mickey the Carver, an artistic Violet who uses humans as his canvas. 

Pierce Brown uses these visual cues as a lens for systemic oppression. Not only the Reds but also Colors like Pinks are the objects of prejudice and discrimination from those of higher castes. Notably, the highColors are named for metals like Silver and Gold, indicating greater value, and their surnames contain the symbols of these elements (au for Golds and cu for Coppers, for example). Darrow shatters this unjust paradigm by transforming into a towering, god-like Gold who seeks to shatter the Society’s injustice.