The Stone Sky
Chapter 9: NASSUN MAKES HER FATE
by Jemisin, N. K.The chapter follows Nassun and Schaffa on their monthlong journey to Steel’s deadciv ruin, navigating the harsh realities of a world deep into the apocalyptic Season. Their travel is marked by scarcity, as they forage for food and endure physical hardships, including Nassun’s healing shoulder wound. The road is eerily empty, with most survivors either joined in raider bands or perished, leaving the pair in near-solitude. Nassun reflects on her mixed feelings about this isolation—relieved to have Schaffa’s undivided attention yet nostalgic for the camaraderie of other orogene children she once knew.
Nassun and Schaffa’s bond deepens during their journey, characterized by quiet companionship and shared survival. At night, they curl together for warmth, but Schaffa’s sleep is often plagued by pain, which Nassun notices with growing concern. Determined to help, she secretly shares her silver—a mysterious energy source—with the corestone embedded in his brain, easing his suffering. This act, though risky, strengthens their connection, as Nassun sees it as a symbiotic exchange rather than parasitic. She takes pride in her ability to care for him, even as she grapples with the moral ambiguity of her actions.
Schaffa occasionally shares stories of Yumenes, a once-great city now lost to time and his fragmented memory. His tales paint a picture of a complex, stratified society, alien to Nassun’s experiences. She also probes him about the Fulcrum and her mother, Essun, but these inquiries dredge up painful, half-remembered fragments for Schaffa, forcing Nassun to tread carefully. Despite learning little new information, these conversations help Nassun piece together her mother’s past and the world before the Season, offering her a fragile sense of connection.
As they near their destination, the environment grows increasingly hostile, with relentless ashfall and eerie, lifeless landscapes. Their instincts save them from potential dangers, like a suspiciously still pond. Finally, after 29 days, they arrive at the Old Man’s Pucker, a geological marvel—a pristine caldera within a caldera. Nassun is awed by its perfection, a stark contrast to the ruined world around them, hinting at the ancient power and mysteries they are about to confront.
FAQs
1. How does Nassun’s relationship with Schaffa evolve during their journey, and what does this reveal about her character?
Answer:
Nassun’s relationship with Schaffa deepens into a symbiotic bond, marked by her secret efforts to ease his pain by sharing her silver. Unlike the parasitic dynamic between Guardians and orogenes in Found Moon, Nassun willingly gives Schaffa small amounts of her power, demonstrating her growing independence and compassion. This act reflects her desire to be a “better daughter” to Schaffa than she was to her biological father, Jija, highlighting her need for belonging and her capacity for selflessness. Her jealousy over sharing Schaffa with others also reveals her vulnerability and longing for exclusive care, traits that humanize her despite her extraordinary abilities.2. What symbolic significance does the silver exchange between Nassun and Schaffa hold, and how does it redefine their connection?
Answer:
The silver exchange symbolizes a shift from exploitation to mutual dependence. In Found Moon, Guardians forcibly took silver from orogenes, but Nassun voluntarily shares hers with Schaffa, transforming their relationship into one of reciprocity. This act foreshadows Nassun’s later realization of “symbiosis,” where both parties benefit—Schaffa gains relief from pain, and Nassun gains emotional fulfillment. The chapter emphasizes that their bond transcends power dynamics, becoming familial. This redefinition challenges the traditional Guardian-orogene hierarchy, illustrating Nassun’s agency and her rejection of oppressive systems.3. Analyze how the chapter portrays survival in the Antarctic environment. What practical and instinctual strategies do Nassun and Schaffa employ?
Answer:
Survival in the Antarctics requires both resourcefulness and intuition. Nassun and Schaffa rely on foraging and cautious travel, avoiding threats like raiders and contaminated water. Their decision to bypass the eerily still pond—despite needing water—demonstrates their trust in instinct over immediate necessity. The ash-covered landscape and distant kirkhusa sounds underscore the constant danger, forcing them to adapt to worsening conditions. These details emphasize that survival isn’t just about physical tools but also situational awareness, a theme reinforced by Schaffa’s stories, which impart indirect lessons about resilience and adaptability.4. How does Schaffa’s fragmented memory shape Nassun’s understanding of her mother and the Fulcrum? Why is this revelation significant?
Answer:
Schaffa’s spotty recollections of Essun and the Fulcrum force Nassun to piece together her mother’s past through vague, painful fragments. His halting speech and distress when discussing Essun suggest trauma, possibly linked to his own identity loss. For Nassun, these glimpses are bittersweet—they offer rare insights into her mother’s life but are incomplete, mirroring her fractured family ties. This process underscores the theme of inherited pain and the difficulty of reconciling with the past, as Nassun must navigate both Schaffa’s suffering and her own unresolved feelings about Essun.5. What does the description of the Old Man’s Pucker reveal about the world’s geological history, and how might this foreshadow future events?
Answer:
The Old Man’s Pucker, a pristine double caldera, exemplifies the destructive yet precise forces that shaped the deadciv ruins. Its unusual perfection hints at unnatural orogenic intervention, suggesting ancient civilizations wielded power beyond natural phenomena. This foreshadows Nassun’s potential role in harnessing similar forces, as the chapter emphasizes her growing control over silver and her curiosity about the past. The caldera’s “gleaming” inner ring may also symbolize hidden power or dormant threats, aligning with the novel’s broader themes of buried histories and catastrophic cycles.
Quotes
1. “She’s old enough to know that it’s childish for her to be jealous of such a thing. (Her parents doted on Uche, too, but it is horrifyingly obvious now that getting more attention isn’t necessarily favoritism.) Doesn’t mean she isn’t glad, and greedy, for the chance to have Schaffa all to herself.”
This quote reveals Nassun’s complex emotional landscape—her self-awareness of childish jealousy contrasted with a raw, desperate need for connection. It underscores her traumatic growth after losing her family and her shifting understanding of love and attention.
2. “She doesn’t know why it works, but she recalls seeing the Guardians in Found Moon all taking bits of silver from their charges and exhaling afterward, as if it eased something in them to give the corestone someone else to chew on.”
A pivotal moment showcasing Nassun’s emerging agency and compassion. The quote introduces the symbiotic dynamic between orogenes and Guardians, foreshadowing her later realization about their codependency (“symbiosis”).
3. “But that is why Nassun sneaks him magic now. Because something changed between them, and he’s not a parasite if she needs him, too, and if she gives what he will not take.”
This captures the chapter’s central theme of redefined relationships. Nassun subverts the power dynamic between Guardian and orogene, reframing their bond as mutual need rather than exploitation—a radical shift from the Fulcrum’s oppressive norms.
4. “It is strange to realize that much of Yumenes’s strangeness was simply because it lasted so long. It had old families. Books in its libraries that were older than Tirimo. Organizations that remembered, and avenged, slights from three or four Seasons back.”
Through Schaffa’s stories, this quote contrasts Nassun’s survival-focused worldview with the incomprehensible scale of civilization’s memory. It highlights the novel’s recurring theme of cyclical time and the weight of history.
5. “Surviving a Season is as much a matter of having the right instincts as having the right tools.”
A concise thesis on the chapter’s survival narrative. This line distills the hard-won wisdom guiding Nassun and Schaffa’s journey, emphasizing intuition’s role in their harsh world—a skill Nassun increasingly masters.