Fate and Free Will

The philosophical theme of fate versus free will crops up several times in the story. Is human life ruled by a predetermined fate, or can people influence and change their fate by the exercise of free will?

The first hint of this theme occurs when Ebarito alludes to the "wheel of fortune." He says that the handicap the other players give him in the game of dominoes is only useful if it "wobbles" that wheel, in other words, if it can somehow alter his luck and change the outcome of the game. The wheel of fortune, which occurs often in literature of the medieval period, suggests that human destiny is a matter of fate. A person may do well with the wheel of fortune for a while, but as the wheel keeps turning, eventually his luck will run out, and his time for misfortune will...