Higher Level Essay
Line of inquiry: How does Ted Chiang use the symbols of rope, fabric,
and thread, to explore the idea of determinism in “The Merchant and the
Alchemist’s Gate”?
Word Count: 1493
The role of fate in the human experience is a recurring theme in the science ction of Ted
Chiang. Written in the style of the Thousand and One Nights, The Merchant and the Alchemist’s
Gate is like an elaborate thought experiment that explores the implications of time travel. In the
“Story Notes”, Chiang describes the connection between determinism and Islamic belief: “I
thought that a Muslim setting might work, because acceptance of fate is one of the basic articles
of faith in Islam” (Chiang). This idea is manifested in the occupations of the narrator, Fuwaad Ibn
Abbas, and the other primary characters. Fuwaad ibn Abbas is a merchant of ne fabrics, while
the two other protagonists, Hassan and Ajib, are a rope maker and weaver of rugs respectively.
The implicit connection between these professions is their direct relationship to thread or string,
whether woven into fabrics or twisted into rope. On a symbolic level, ‘thread’ may be associated
with the idea of fate or the narrative course of someone’s life. In the words of Austrian poet Rainer
Marie Rilke,“Destiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an
unspeakable tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred
others”(“Rainer Maria”). Similar to Rilke’s description of destiny, Chiang uses thread to explore
fate through its symbolic representation of time. Furthermore, the intertwining nature of threads
emphasize how everything winds together to produce the fabric of the universe. Finally, these
threads imply an unchangeable fate, despite the freedom characters have to spin their own
thread.
In Chiang’s short story, thread in its myriad forms can be interpreted as a symbolic
representation of time (Ronnberg, p 519). With the weaving and twisting conducted by the
characters through their occupation, the looping of threads suggests a non-linear nature to their
timeline. With the opportunity to intersperse between moments in the course of their lives via a
time gate, the movement of characters is seen to play a role in their own fate. This is apparent
when Hassan interacts with his older self, where his experiences are able to guide him. Saving his
younger self from reoccurring events like being run over by a horse, Old Hassan says: “Do not
forget, you and I are one; every circumstance that befalls you once befell me” (Chiang, p 5). This
suggests that time is essentially looping, where the string of events that occur in Hassan’s life are
already determined, and his older self is watching it play out like a performance on stage.
Hassan’s thread of time, is also attributed to the inescapable pattern of events from Allah, the
omniscient god of the Islamic religion. When Old Hassan speaks of the box of jewels, he says:
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“I learned it from myself, just as you did. As to how we came to know its location, I have no
explanation except that it was the will of Allah” (Chiang, p 6).
Here, it reveals the underlying belief that every event that occurs in the lives of these characters,
and the world they inhabit, is part of a sacred and predetermined plan. Hassan is seen to happily
accept his blessing, after-all, “What Allah gives you, you must accept”(Chiang, p 14). Accepting
Allah’s creation; considered in light of the motif of threads, may be likened to a great fabric, quilt
or Persian rug. Each character’s life narrative comprises a small part of a much larger and more
complex universe.
This idea of a complex universe leads to the second point: when threads are woven
together, the result suggest the relationship and dependency between events (Ronnberg, p 516).
The labyrinth of threads emphasizes how events interplay to create the fabric of time and reality.
This is evident in the story with Hassan’s wife, Raniya. Although she is not employed in an o cial
occupation, she plays a vital role in saving her husband’s life. Without Raniya and her cunning
plan, Hassan would have been killed by the bandits for stealing a precious necklace: “After this
fellow has sold his necklace, we will take his money, and more”(Chiang, p 11). Here, it suggests
that an individual’s fate is bound to the actions of external forces. Chiang then writes: “Allah must
have brought her here so that he might use her as his instrument” (Chiang, p 11), implying how
actions and deeds across time are all part of Allah’s creation. This exploration of fate and time
travel stands in stark contrast with that found in Hollywood lms. In the popular lm, “Back to the
Future”, the protagonist is able to alter the past and in uence the reality of their own time. This is
consistent with a concept of free will that assumes human beings create their own destiny, that
we are ultimately responsible for the results of our decisions. In Chiang’s story, however, the
characters appear to exercise free will, but are also subject to forces they are unconscious of.
Instead of controlling their own lives, their fate is ultimately xed, and the in uence of other
individuals is all part of the grand creation of Allah.
Finally, Chiang reveals that fate remains unchangeable despite having knowledge of the
event. Like a loose thread, Chiang suggests an individual has the exibility to reshape their path
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by exercising free will and making decisions, but will still inevitably end up at the same point.
However, despite being powerless to in uence events, the act of merely observing is revealed to
actually be rewarding. An example of this is when ibn Abbas goes back in time to prevent the
tragic death of his wife, Najya. Feeling responsible for her death, he utilizes the time gate in hopes
to relieve the grief he has been carrying for many years. Despite his determined e ort, Allah
plagues him with delays like sandstorms and bandits, making it impossible for him to prevent her
ill-fated death. When he arrives at the Baghdad of 20 years before, he is once again, too late. He
laments, “I had traveled so far, only to receive the worst news of my life a second time” (Chiang, p
17). However, while he is grieving, a nurse approaches him with a message from Najya. A
message that circumstance had prevented him from receiving as a younger man:
"She wished me to tell you that her last thoughts were of you. She wished me to tell you
that while her life was short, it was made happy by the time she spent with you” (Chiang,
p 18).
On hearing this message, ibn Abbas breaks down in tears and is able to nd a sense of peace
and forgiveness within himself. As Basharat said: “Do you now understand why I say the future
and the past are the same? We cannot change either, but we can know both more fully” (Chiang,
p 13). Despite the power of fate represented through unforeseen events that prevent ibn Abbas
from saving his wife, this example also sheds light on the role of free will. Free will is explored to
be a facade, what ibn Abbas believes is freedom of choice is really just motivation that drives him
to play out Allah’s plan. In the end, He may not have been able to save Najya, but his duty as
Allah’s instrument is rewarded through Najya’s unheard message, emphasizing to readers the
orchestrated nature of Allah’s incomprehensible plans.
To conclude, in The Merchant and the Alchemist, Chiang explores the theme of fate and
determinism using the symbolism of string and thread. In Hassan’s story, his interaction with his
older self can be seen as a knotted string, where their timeline is looped and predetermined. Like
a fabric composed of intertwining threads, Raniya’s story is able to demonstrate the idea that
one’s life is bound to external forces over which they have no control. Finally, Fuwaad ibn Abbas’
own journey reveals to readers that traveling through time does not reshape events, and that like a
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string, the course of fate is xed and will always reach the same destination. This depiction of
fate, however, does not negate the concept of freewill, as it is still seen to play a fundamental role.
Each character experiences their own sense of freewill but is explored to be paradoxical, where
their thought of acting freely actually brings about the very fate Allah has set out. In an interview
for the New Yorker, Chiang himself says: “I believe that the universe is deterministic, but that the
most meaningful de nition of freewill is compatible with determinism” (Rothman, p 4). And
perhaps this short story is Chiang’s attempt to articulate such a de nition. Within the entwined
narratives of The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, Chiang depicts a predetermined universe
that exists beyond the comprehension of its human characters. Each is driven by his or her own
motives, and so follows their own thread, inevitably bringing into being a wondrous and divine
tapestry.
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Work Cited
Chiang, Ted. Exhalation: Stories. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2019. Accessed May
1.
Chiang, Ted. The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate. Subterranean Press, 2007. Accessed
April 17.
“Rainer Maria Rilke.” Goodreads, Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/quotes/164000destiny-itself-is-like-a-wonderful-wide-tapestry-in-which. Accessed October 2
Ronnberg, Ami, and Kathleen Martin. The Book of Symbols. Taschen, 2011. Accessed
April 28.
Rothman, Joshua. “Ted Chiang's Soulful Science Fiction.” New Yorker. Accessed April 17.
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