If Yvaine had never fallen to Earth, would Tristran have lived out his life in Wall? Explain your reasoning, using direct and indirect characterization details over the course of the novel for support.

Teaching Suggestion: Lead students in a discussion following Tristran’s early life in Wall, his family connections, and his father’s own failed dreams to explore the world; consider Tristran’s faerie heritage and the close relationship between Faerie and Wall. Was Tristran the first child to be unknowingly born to two worlds? Would he have been drawn back by his inner nature or by political actions toward Stormhold, or would he have lived and died never knowing who he was? Ask students to debate the values of nature and nurture, and what other paths may have been available to him had he not embarked on his quest.