The Narrow Road Between Desires

Rothfuss gives the novella a happy ending full of healing and humor. Chapter 9 addresses weighty subjects like child abuse, and Chapter 10, which is only a single sentence, provides comic relief by moving from the main plot with Rike to the subplot about the errands that Bast is meant to run for Kote: “Bast was halfway back to the Waystone Inn when he realized he had no idea where his carrots were” (179). In Chapter 11, the author uses the gossip shared by the inn’s regular patrons to provide information about Jessom’s decision to flee from the town without having him appear within the scene. Through his decision not to depict Rike’s father directly, Rothfuss keeps the story’s focus on Rike’s healing rather than on Jessom’s abuse.

In the final chapter, Rike’s dynamic characterization offers encouraging signs that he is already mending: “Bast was surprised when Rike hesitantly reached up and took hold of his hand. Surprised but not displeased” (202). Additionally, Nate Taylor’s illustrations support the happy ending. The drawing on page 204 depicts a heartwarming homecoming as Rike hurries toward his mother, who is framed by the light of the house’s doorway. The illustration on page 209 depicts Rike helping his mother tend to the honeybees. Both characters are drawn with joyful smiles, and Nettie wears the river stone charm necklace that her son made for her, offering a visual reminder of the boy’s growth and love for her.

The spell that Bast casts during the novel’s climax draws power from The Influence of Perception on Identity. Perception and identity parallel glamourie and grammarie, forms of Fae magic that affect appearance and reality, respectively. Bast’s spell uses both glamourie and grammarie, allowing him to shift the boy’s perception of himself as well as change his reality. Significantly, the novella defines grammarie as “making something into more of what it already is” (55). This means that Bast’s magic magnifies the boy’s innate qualities, such as love and courage, rather than turning him into someone else. During the ritual, Bast changes how Rike sees himself by making vital distinctions between the boy’s actions and his identity: “‘Say it.’ ‘I just lied,’ Rike said softly. ‘I en’t a liar.’ ‘You’ve done bad things,’ Bast said. ‘But you aren’t bad’” (201). The ritual supports the theme of identity by reframing Rike’s negative actions as mistakes that he can learn from rather than proof that he is doomed to become like his father.

Initially, Bast sees his obligation to Rike as a trap and a dire threat to his freedom, but the bond between the two characters ultimately liberates them both. Rike’s family is saved from Jessom’s destructive presence, and the boy begins to heal from the mental and emotional effects that his father’s abuse has had on him. As a result, Rike is free to reclaim his innocence and his belief in himself. Fulfilling his bargain with Rike liberates Bast in a literal sense by breaking the binding that Rike’s gift placed on him. Additionally, the day’s events teach Bast to worry less about what fate might have in store and to place more confidence in his ability to shape events instead. This novella takes place before Chronicler comes to Newarre. Thus, Bast’s experience with helping Rike find healing and restoration can be interpreted as a factor that inspires his plan to remind his master of his former glory. By the end of the story, Rike and Bast both find the freedom they need.

Rothfuss adds to the satisfaction of the ending by resolving the foreshadowing throughout the story. Many of these clues support Bast’s self-image as an artist by showing the care with which he crafts his schemes out of seemingly minor and disconnected details. For example, Chapter 11 reveals that a “couple kids found [Jessom] while they were playing by the falls” (183), meaning that Bast sent Wilk and Pem to the waterfall with this purpose in mind in Chapter 8. Similarly, Rothfuss omits the scene in which Bast damages Martin’s still but later reveals that this was part of his plan for ensuring that Jessom never returns to Newarre. At the very end of the novella, Bast informs Kote that “Nettie Williams discovered a wild hive of bees today” (208), meaning that Bast showed her the hive that Kale told him about in Chapter 2 at some point between the end of Chapter 7 and the start of Chapter 8. Capturing the wild queen bee allows Nettie to revive her apiary, which supports the happy ending’s focus on healing and restoration.