Feb-24-2010, 05:50 AM (UTC)
I agree. I don't believe that content means happy. I think Fitz is content because his boyish fantasy of living with his sweetheart finally came true. But to me, this only makes him happy because (as you said) The Fool made him whole again. The memories Fitz gave to the girl on a dragon are still strong, as if they happened yesterday. And so, he longs for what he longed for 15 years ago, instead of what he should long for in his current situation. Since the book ends while these renewed memories are still fresh, he doesn't have time to regret his choice (or rather, the choice The Fool made for him).
I like to think that Robin left us clues to create our own ending. We know that the Skill lengthens life. Kettle lived over two hundred years, and Chade (who was looking like dying of old age at the start of Tawny Man) is still lively and strong, likely due to taking up the Skill. I believe that The Fool left Fitz so that he could feel a measure of the contentment that he always longed for with Molly. Then, when Molly dies of age and Fitz is still in his prime due to being Skillmaster, The Fool will return. Their friendship can infuse their lives with love once more and they can live out their lives together, as the only people who truly understood one another.
I like to think that Robin left us clues to create our own ending. We know that the Skill lengthens life. Kettle lived over two hundred years, and Chade (who was looking like dying of old age at the start of Tawny Man) is still lively and strong, likely due to taking up the Skill. I believe that The Fool left Fitz so that he could feel a measure of the contentment that he always longed for with Molly. Then, when Molly dies of age and Fitz is still in his prime due to being Skillmaster, The Fool will return. Their friendship can infuse their lives with love once more and they can live out their lives together, as the only people who truly understood one another.
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