Stardust

While the opening section is primarily driven by setting and worldbuilding, and the second section becomes more dependent on character, this third section relies heavily on plot momentum and action. A lot of things happen in a relatively small space.

Further developing the theme of Physical and Spiritual Transformation, at the beginning of Chapter 6, Tristran converses with a nymph who was once a beech tree—he is learning to take these things in stride as he adjusts to being in Faerie. In parallel to the nymph’s physical transformation, Tristran is also working through his own internal transformation as he comes to view his actions toward Yvaine in a more mature and objective light.

Once he crosses paths with Primus, he’s able to take a brief rest period from his journey. Tristran doesn’t yet realize that he is of the Stormhold bloodline and that Primus is his uncle. This is the only period they’re able to spend together as a family before Primus is killed by the witch. Even though neither is aware of their connection, there are hints to the life they could have had: “When you are older … you must visit my citadel, high on the crags of Mount Huon. Now that is a mountain,” to which Tristran replies, “If ever you visit Wall then you must come to my house, and I shall give you wooden clothes and sheep-cheese, and all the mutton stew you can eat” (160). Although Tristran does eventually make his way to Stormhold, it is long after Primus’s death, and Primus of course never has the opportunity to visit Wall. In this way the moment between them takes on a tragic and crystalline quality as a lifetime of lost potential is condensed into a single conversation.

The novel explores dramatic irony—a literary device in which the reader or audience is privy to information the characters are not—as Yvaine visits the witch’s inn. Rather than discovering the facade alongside Yvaine, the reader already understands the danger she is in. Despite the reader’s foreknowledge, the opening of Chapter 7 is told from Yvaine’s limited perspective: “The woman’s friendly voice warmed the star, soothed her: just the right mixture of practicality and concern” (166), and “Billy turned out to be a white-bearded, gruff sort of fellow” (167), alluding to the fairy tale “Billy Goats Gruff.”

These and more of Yvaine’s observations create a juxtaposition between the reality of the situation and the illusion the witch is trying to create. The scene also gives more nuance to Yvaine’s character and understanding of the world around her. While she was abrasive and forthright toward Tristran, here she reveals her naivety to the subtler threats around her. She allows herself to believe “[t]here were good people on this benighted world” (169), even though she’s in more immediate danger than ever before. This shows that despite her circumstances and suspicions, she longs for warmth and acceptance.

From this point forward, the plot maintains a continuous forward movement as Primus is killed; Tristran permanently damages his hand in the fire; he and Yvaine escape; and Septimus’s journey is waylaid, to his annoyance, by his need to avenge his brother’s death. He sees this as a burden rather than a mission driven by familial love and connection, though he fulfils it out of a sense of honor and tradition. This mirrors Yvaine’s own adherence to the law of her family when she accepts her binding to Tristran in exchange for saving her life. Though she dislikes the responsibility they have to each other, she accepts the connection forged between them in the same way Septimus grudgingly accepts the connection between his brother and himself. This also further develops the theme of Freedom and Restriction in that each are both far from home and not observed by anyone who would know their familial and cultural obligations, yet they both choose to follow these traditions despite not wanting to.

After this period of upheaval, Tristran and Yvaine are able to enjoy the next stage of their adventure on board the lightning ship. Tristran takes a measure of boyish delight in this setting: “[…] the kitchen (which he was delighted to discover they referred to as the galley, just as in the sea stories he had read)” (195). This becomes a transitional period for Tristran as he experiences new things and grows into himself, slowly leaving more and more of his Wall identity behind—further highlighting the theme of Physical and Spiritual Transformation.

After they depart the ship, Tristran and Yvaine go on to have several briefly summarized adventures on land. This helps convey the passage of time and lays the potential for a broader mythology of stories expanding from this one. Their adventures in this section culminate in their passage in Madame Semele’s caravan, much of which Tristran spends transformed into a mouse. His bartering with Madame Semele shows what he has learned from his time in Faerie; he is careful to ensure they are safe, fed, and will be delivered intact. However, he is unable to come out ahead in his negotiation with the old woman. By the time they arrive, however, each has gotten what they needed—much like Tristran’s quest in its entirety.