46 pages • 1 hour read
The Narrow Road Between Desires
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Essay Topics
Consider how Rothfuss’s structural decisions, such as foreshadowing and time jumps between chapters, shape the novella’s plot, mood, and suspense.
The penance piece that Rike gives to Bast serves as a motif of The Tension Between Freedom and Obligation. How does this motif advance the theme, Rike’s characterization, and the author’s world building?
In this novella, Rothfuss introduces the concept of embrils, which are objects used in fortune-telling. As symbols of fate, how do embrils contribute to the story’s character development, structure, and tone? How does Bast’s attitude toward fate shift over the course of the story, and what causes this change?
