The Last Wish

The oppressiveness of fate is a motif throughout the collection. Geralt is a product of fate, since witchers are destined for their training at birth. Geralt is mostly resigned to his fate; however, he pushes back against it in subtle ways. For one, although he is a strong adherent to his witcher code, one of his first professional acts was helping a random passerby—a decision that ostensibly goes against this code. In general, he listens to his conscience and obeys its dictates when it conflicts with the code. Other characters, too, find ways to push back against fate: Yennefer is seeking treatment to have a child, something sorceresses’ are not fated to do.

In keeping with horror and fairy tale motifs, silver frequently pops up throughout the collection, chiefly as a weapon against monsters. Geralt’s sword is made of silver explicitly to combat monsters and his silver medallion warns him of magical events, jumping and spinning to alert Geralt that there is trouble ahead. That said, in some ways, silver is a red herring, given that many of the monsters encountered in the collection are actually just terrible human beings—and silver does not harm them.