Essay Questions

What purpose does Ed serve to the story?

Ed the shark is kind of the Yoda of the story. His actual name is ed’Rashtekaresket, but for obvious reasons he goes by the shortened version after he has been officially introduced. He looks more like Moby-Dick than a Great White Shark—he is actually white whereas that species of shark is, ironically, not—and has been around since dirt was considered new and exciting. Ed the shark is almost wisdom personified. Ed is a beloved character in the story and for good reason. For one thing, he hands out pearls of wisdom like “No one who fears gets it from anywhere but himself.” More importantly, such dispensation of philosophical guidance is not his sole topic of conversation. Ed, as previously mentioned, is the voice of wisdom in this tale. Ed is wise in having learned how to engage with other creatures, such as the wizard protagonists of the book. Although the advice offered above sounds like it is merely another version of FDR’s guidance about fearing only fear, it is actually an example of foreshadowing that reveals he is already thinking several steps ahead of the person he is addressing, Nita. That gap in their understanding of things will prove to be quite significant to their relationship and to how events play out.

How is the story a cautionary tale about reading all the instructions in a manual?

At one level, this story is a cautionary tale about reading instructions. Not just reading them, but actually paying attention and understanding the implications. At a very significant point, Nita “skimmed the rest of it, the directions detailing the Pale Slayer’s `acceptance of Sacrifice,’ his song, the retreat of the Lone Power, and the Song’s conclusion by the remaining Ten.” Such a summary may sound like a disparagement of the story, but the reality is that not paying close enough attention to instruction manuals has probably caused more woe in the world since the Industrial Revolution than can ever be known. Looked at from another perspective, this quote applies to a more enriching theme that celebrates literacy. Reading is not skimming. While explicitly a warning against not reading all the directions, this quote carries an important subtext. Even skimming is better than not reading at all.

How does the novel examine the theme of reality versus play-acting in creating problems for people?

At one, after they have established a bond, Ed says to Nita, “I’ll certainly enjoy eating you when the time comes ’round.” Nita thinks Ed is just being playful when he says this, but there is definitely something that is not very funny in the way he emphasizes “you.” On the other hand, Ed seems to genuinely think that Nita is being playful when she reacts with surprise, even to the point of acknowledging that she is pleased to jest with him. The problem here is that both Ed and Nita are quite serious. The divergence in their understanding traces back to that decision of Nita to skim when she could have—and should—have actually been reading with close scrutiny. That part of the book which Nita was skimming instead of reading—those directions related to an “acceptance of Sacrifice”—is misunderstood by Nita to be play-acting. Ultimately, what she thinks of as illusion will turn out to be situated in reality. Nita gets herself into a truly terrible situation not just because she didn’t read the directions closely enough but also because she made the mistake of confusing fantasy and reality. This very conversation point in her conversation with Ed is itself a replication of that very problem. Nita thinks Ed is play-acting and Ed thinks Nita is doing the same.