Utter Loneliness

"You've learned to guard your thoughts so well, you're almost
afraid to let yourself know what they are" (76).
Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice (1995)



Points for Reflection

Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice (1995), chps. 1-6

  1. Why has our narrator has chosen to construct a history of the Six Duchies?
  2. What does Hod recommend Fitz do with the information he overhears?
  3. What does Chade suggest about the connection between education and morality?
  4. How does primogeniture function in the Six Duchies?
  5. What emotion does Burrich’s style of parenting unwittingly instill in Fitz?
  6. Does Fitz think his memories accurate?
  7. Does the virtue after which a newborn, noble child is named prove a reliable indicator of her or his character as an adult?
  8. In the Six Duchies, does a lady’s or lord’s inherited title grant them immunity from prosecution by the people they govern?
  9. How do the needs of the Coastal Duchies differ from those of the Inland Duchies?
  10. For what various reasons does Burrich think unfavorably of prostitution?
  11. How is the power of The Wit gained?
  12. How has Burrich’ mobility impairment impacted his public presence and influence?
  13. What of Burrich’s connection to Chivalry? How does this inform the way others treat him?
  14. What physical characteristics How does Fitz get his name, and does everyone use it?make Chade so mysterious?
  15. Why do Fitz and Cob not become fast friends?
  16. What does Chade think of Fedwren’s offer to Fitz?
  17. How does Fitz get his name, and does everyone use it?
  18. What opportunities does Fitz’s liminal status as a bastard open up for him, and how do others respond to his bloodline?
  19. What does Chade make of Fitz’s temperament?
  20. Why does Fitz call himself a “catalyst” (19)?
  21. How does Molly respond to the new knowledge Fitz has accumulated during their year apart?
  22. What skills does Chade transfer to Fitz?
  23. Do Fitz’s various tasks under Chade’s mentorship seem congruent with what the novel’s title suggests about his profession?
  24. Where does Fitz feel most at liberty, and most connected?  Inside Buckkeep, or outside it?
  25. How close to Fitz and Burrich become?
  26. What does King Shrewd do to seal his connection with Fitz?
  27. Which of Chade’s requests does Fitz refuse to honor, and why?
  28. How does Chade’s instruction differ from Hod’s?
  29. Why doesn’t Fitz lame a horse permanently when asked?
  30. When does young Fitz accidentally use the Skill, and how does it affect his reputation?
  31. How does Fitz’s use of “the Wit” affect his memory?
  32. Why does Burrich work so hard to quell the “old Wit” when it manifests in Fitz?
  33. What does use of the Wit grant Fitz, post-Nosy?
  34. Why does Burrich oppose use of the Wit?
  35. How did Molly “Nosebleed” get her name?
  36. Why does Fitz gravitate more towards Molly than other youth?
  37. Do the Outislanders appear to have skill in using the Wit?
  38. Does the king live up to his name?
  39. Do King Shrewd and Queen Desire share a model marriage?
  40. What do the tales, rumors and recollections swirling around Chivalry reveal about the character of this figure whom we never meet?
  41. Why is Fitz’s existence so very difficult for Patience?
  42. If the clothing makes the man, what does Prince Regal’s garb tell us about him?
  43. Is Prince Verity approachable when Fitz is a young boy?
  44. Is Queen Desire effective at obtaining her goals?


abstract image of sun in distant, its rays penetrating a bluish landscape in the foreground
map of Six Duchies

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu