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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Nature of Evil
The Last Wish is a meditation on the nature of evil, as Geralt spends his days traveling the world attempting to protect people from evil beings. This profoundly philosophical topic is addressed head-on by the characters throughout the book. Nowhere is the discussion of evil as urgent and detailed than in the story “The Lesser Evil,” which outlines a hierarchy of evil: True Evil, Greater Evil, and Lesser Evil. One of the central questions of the book, and in this chapter in particular, is whether evil is inherent or whether it is as the result of a choice. This is evident in the difference seen between monstrous beings like the striga, which are inherently evil, and people who have monstrous traits that make them appear evil, like Renfri and Nivellen. These people have made evil choices but it’s questionable whether or not they are completely and inherently evil like the monsters. This is a possible distinction between True Evil and everything else, although the book does not come to an easy conclusion on the matter. Rather, Geralt continues to question what is and is not evil.
Monstrosity Versus Personhood
Throughout The Last Wish, the issue of monstrosity is treated as an urgent and often deadly element of life. In Geralt’s world, monsters bring violence and hardship to the people around them. Beyond exploring the nature of monstrosity, the book considers the differences between monsters and people. This binary forces Geralt to examine the line that separates them. Geralt uses a few specific indicators, like the propensity for violence or intelligence, to determine whether a being is a monster or not. Despite this, there are numerous examples of beings that do not clearly fall into one category or the other. When a creature falls somewhere between a monster and a person, Geralt has to make a judgment call. The most compelling example of this is Renfri, who is unquestionably a person, but her violence coupled with the fact that she is one of the girls mutated according to the Curse of the Black Sun also cements her as a potential monster. This ambiguity leads Geralt to make a decision he regrets, immediately after killing her. Another similar example is Torque, whose physical appearance is unquestionably monstrous, but whose intelligence causes Geralt to recognize him as a person and leave him unharmed.
The hierarchies of personhood are further complicated by the fact that there are clearly non-human people in the world, such as dwarves, elves, gnomes, and even witchers. Throughout the book, there is a distinct tension between the humans and these other people. This is evident in the elves’ attitude in “The Edge of the World” and by Renfri’s defense of the gnomes she lived with in her youth. Geralt’s own physiological makeup sets him apart from other humans, placing him somewhere between human and monstrosity, and arguably more monster than person. When Geralt is in full possession of his powers, he repels people. This is seen in Ostrit’s reaction to him in the mausoleum in “The Witcher.” Even Nenneke points out that Geralt is making “human mistakes,” implying that he is not human. Despite this, he can handle silver, which clarifies that he is also not a monstrous being, but something occupying a third space like the dwarves, elves, and gnomes.
Transformation As a Catalyst for Power
Throughout the book characters undergo transformations that amplify, reveal, or transfer their power. People are transformed into monsters and gain supernatural powers. This is seen with the striga, who transforms from a normal girl into a bloodthirsty and incredibly strong monster that can knock Geralt off his feet with her screams. She also subverts death through her transformation, as she would have died at birth were it not for the curse that turned her into a striga. Nivellen gains both magical and social power when he transforms into the bear-faced creature in the estate, and Urcheon gains political power when he once again transforms into a regular human man. In all of these cases, transformation imbues a person with social, physical, political, or magical power. The most potent example of this is Geralt himself, who gains both magical and social power after transforming into a witcher. While some characters gain power through transformation, others are able to transform because of their powers. Vereena and Lille are able to alter themselves because they have inherent powers. Both women appear to be normal until they transform in very different ways. Vereena becomes a giant, bloodsucking bat, and Lille becomes a goddess figure. What sets them apart from others is that their transformations reveal their true selves and display their true powers.
Destiny As Unavoidable
Destiny plays a frequent role in characters’ motivations in The Last Wish. While some characters are seeking their destiny, others are trying to avoid it. Destiny is a driving concern for Geralt, who is haunted by the inevitability of his own fate. Stregobor and Aridea hunt down and try to kill Renfri repeatedly because they fear a prophecy that predicts violence. However, the events of the book suggest that destiny is unavoidable. Even when a character tries to avoid fate, the very actions that are intended to change their destiny end up fulfilling it. This is the case for Aridea, who hunted Renfri down to stop the prophecy that Renfri would murder her. However, this compels Renfri to seek revenge against Aridea for years of pursuit and torture. Renfri poisons Aridea, and Aridea’s behavior, which was intended to protect her from Renfri, helps bring the prophecy to fruition. Similar actions play out in “A Grain of Truth” and in Geralt’s life. Geralt has no question that fate and destiny are inevitable. In fact, Geralt refuses to sit for a trance with Iola and Nenneke, not because he’s afraid of learning what his future holds for him, but because he knows he can’t stop it.
Nature As a Source of Faith
Nature and faith are inherently tied to one another in The Last Wish. Religion and faith are a background element throughout the book, in part because Geralt spends so much time discussing it with the priestesses of Melitele. While Geralt describes himself as faithless, Nenneke makes a strong claim that the Force, which is the source of Geralt’s magic and is part of nature, is his true belief system. Similarly, the narration paints a picture of Melitele as the modern evolution of a Great Mother or Mother Nature, further tying the religion of the book back to nature itself. The most overt connection between nature and faith comes from the presence of The Queen of the Fields in “The Edge of the World.” In her mundane form, Lille is a prophetess who the people of the Valley follow unquestioningly. In her true form, she is a brilliant goddess dripping with symbols representing nature. Geralt even reads a passage from the ancient book he gets from Lower Posada that paints Lille as an eternal figure that encompasses all the manifestations of nature. Melitele and The Queen of the Fields are the only two godly figures that play a role in the book, and both are deeply tied to nature. The fact that the religious system is polytheistic only further supports this connection.
