The Color of Magic Perseverance

So, if all the characters in The Color of Magic are going to be dissatisfied (and they are—read up on it elsewhere in this section), then it stands to reason they'll want to try to change whatever they are unhappy about. That's just the way this whole story-telling thing works. And if they're going to do that, they'll need perseverance to see them through. It's that simple.

Luggage won't be happy unless he's with Twoflower, so he perseveres across continents, oceans, and even other dimensions to be with his owner. Twoflower's perseverance leads him to live a life of heroes, dragons, and adventure like he's always wanted. And Rincewind wants a life free of danger and adventure and will do anything for it, even if that means going reluctantly on a dangerous adventure. Which, to be clear, it absolutely does.

Questions About Perseverance

1. Can you think of a single character that lacks any type of perseverance? If yes, who and why? If not, then why do you think this character type is absent from the novel?
2. Why do you think Fate perseveres against the Lady? On the other hand, why does the Lady persevere against Fate?
3. The astronomers of Krull want desperately to know the sex of the Great A'Tuin. Why? And what is the novel trying to say about persevering for this kind of goal?

Chew on This

The perseverance of any character can be directly related to his of her dissatisfaction. The more dissatisfied he or she is, the more the more he or she will persevere.

Perhaps the only thing we can say for certain about the Great A'Tuin is that he (or she) perseveres, though we can't say why. The elephants remain a mystery as well.