Theories about world literature, of which fairy tale is a fundamental part, emphasize the porousness of borders, geographical and inguistic: no frontiercan keep a good story from roaming. It will travel, and travel far, and travel back again in a different guise, a changed mood, and, above all, a new meaning.Marina Warner
About This Quote
The porousness of borders is a recurring theme in the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. In this quote from the fantasy novel, those borders seem to be a lot more porous than we might think. The main character, Akiva ben Mordecai, is a thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. He then uses that money to buy passage on a ship to reach a land called Ishval, where the people have been swallowed up by war and famine.
Although Akiva’s goal is noble, he does not believe that he should stay for long or impose his ideas on other people. The people of Ishval need him to help them rebuild their country and he is happy to help them out as much as he can.
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