Guilt and Forgiveness in Any Way the Wind Blows
The Heavy Weight of Remorse
In Rainbow Rowell’s Any Way the Wind Blows, guilt is not a simple emotion that fades with a quick apology; it is a persistent force that shapes every character’s journey. The novel argues that forgiveness cannot be earned or demanded—it can only be offered, accepted, and then lived with. Simon, Baz, Penelope, and even secondary figures must wrestle with the harm they have caused, sometimes unintentionally, and learn that moving forward means bearing the scars of their actions while choosing to love anyway.
This analysis traces the theme across three major plot threads, examines how symbols deepen the meaning, and acknowledges the contradictions that keep the story honest.
Baz’s Guilt: The Voice He Stole
Baz’s most crushing guilt centers on a spell from his Watford days: he used a tape recorder, given by his aunt Fiona, to steal another student’s voice. The spell was meant for Simon, but instead it struck Philippa Stainton, robbing her of her magic and her ability to speak. For years, Baz buried the memory, but in Chapter 56, he sees Philippa at a rally and realizes her voice never returned. The guilt hits him like a physical blow: “I stole her voice … and it never came back” (Chapter 56). He rushes to confront Fiona, only to hear her dismiss his pain: “We were at war … Shit happens, Baz!” (Chapter 60). Fiona’s refusal to take responsibility forces Baz to see that he was a child manipulated by adults, but that knowledge does not erase his own accountability.
The climax of this arc arrives in Chapter 64, where Baz confesses everything to Simon: “I tried to take your magic, Snow! Your voice! It was supposed to be you!” Simon’s response is immediate and unconditional: “I forgive you.” Yet Baz cannot accept it. He protests, “How could you, Snow?” Only when Simon asks for forgiveness in return—“Do you forgive me? For everything?”—and Baz says yes, does a fragile balance form. This scene shows that guilt does not vanish upon confession; it only becomes bearable when both parties commit to releasing each other. Later, when Baz tries to apologize to Pippa, she refuses to forgive him: “I don’t forgive you. I never want to see you again” (Chapter 77). That rejection stings, but Baz accepts it as a consequence he deserves. The novel insists that forgiveness is a gift, not an obligation.
Simon’s Guilt: The Mage’s Death
Simon carries a different, equally heavy kind of guilt: he believes he killed the Mage. In Chapter 2, when Dr. Wellbelove tells Simon he has inherited the Mage’s estate, Simon refuses. He insists, “I killed the Mage.” Dr. Wellbelove argues it was self-defense and that Simon was manipulated, but Simon counters, “I wasn’t manipulated … I gave away my magic willingly.” By rejecting the label of “Chosen One” and the money, Simon tries to shoulder the full moral weight of the death. This guilt is tangled with his identity—he believes he is dangerous, a monster who destroys those around him.
Simon’s journey toward forgiveness parallels Baz’s. In Chapter 64, after forgiving Baz, Simon asks for the same grace. When Baz says “Yeah, I do,” Simon finally allows himself to be held and to cry. This mutual absolution is not the end of Simon’s guilt; he still struggles with his dragon wings, his lost magic, and his sense of worth. But the scene plants a seed: forgiveness can coexist with ongoing pain. Later, in the epilogue, Simon has left magic behind and lives a quiet life, suggesting that carrying guilt does not preclude happiness—it simply changes the shape of your days.
Penelope’s Guilt: The Burden of Bad Choices
Penelope’s guilt is more self-directed. In Chapter 21, she spirals into self-blame after rescuing Shepard. She lists her failures: she got dumped multiple times without realizing it, she endangered her friends, she killed vampires on camera, and she exposed a Normal to magic. “I only make bad decisions,” she says. “I’m an idiot.” Shepard tries to reassure her, pointing out her bravery and skill, but Penelope insists she is a problem—echoing her mother’s accusations.
Penelope’s path to forgiveness involves accepting her own fallibility. She does not receive a dramatic pardon; instead, she chooses to keep helping Shepard, channeling her guilt into protective action. By the end of the novel, she has not fully shed her self-doubt, but she has learned to trust that her intentions matter. In Chapter 90, she hesitates when Shepard invites her to Omaha, but she agrees to consider it—a small step toward letting go of the idea that she must solve everything perfectly.
Symbols of Guilt and Grace
Rowell uses recurring objects to ground the theme of guilt and forgiveness. Simon’s dragon wings are the most visible symbol. They mark him as different, a permanent reminder of the spell that drained his magic and of his identity as a former Chosen One. The wings cannot be removed (Chapter 64 reveals Simon is immune to magic), so he must learn to live with them—just as he must learn to live with his guilt. Shepard’s joke about making shirts with wing openings becomes a small act of acceptance: the wings are not something to hide.
The Excalibur sword (a symbol on the book’s site) represents Simon’s violent past and his inherited destiny. In Chapter 91, he practices with the sword, crying, and then asks Baz if he was always a magician. The sword is a tool he no longer wants to wield; passing it aside is a step toward forgiving himself for the harm it caused.
The candle spell (symbol) appears in Chapter 1 when Lady Ruth lights a second candle for her son Jamie. Fire and light traditionally symbolize hope and remembrance. Lady Ruth’s candles are a quiet ritual of forgiving her daughter Lucy for running away and of seeking her return. This small domestic magic contrasts with the grand, violent spells that caused so much guilt. It suggests that forgiveness often begins in humble, private spaces.
Complexity and Contradiction
The novel does not pretend that forgiveness is easy or always deserved. Smith-Richards feels no guilt for his spell that drains people’s magic; he rationalizes it as a “miracle” (Chapter 75). His lack of remorse makes him a villain, but it also highlights the difference between those who own their mistakes and those who evade them. Baz’s aunt Fiona similarly refuses guilt, using the excuse of war. Her refusal stings Baz because it leaves him alone with his conscience. The book implies that part of growing up is accepting guilt even when the people who helped create it won’t.
Another contradiction: Penelope’s mother, Headmistress Bunce, holds Simon responsible for being a bad influence, yet she arrests Smith-Richards. Authority figures are flawed and often wrong. The younger generation must decide for themselves what guilt means.
Agatha’s epilogue offers a quiet counterpoint. She abandons magic entirely and lives with goats. She does not explicitly voice guilt, but her withdrawal suggests a refusal to participate in a world that caused her so much pain. Her goats “could manage alone, but she chooses to stay with them.” This choice is a form of forgiveness—not of others, but of herself, for needing simplicity.
Study Questions: Guilt and Forgiveness
1. Why does Baz struggle to accept Simon’s forgiveness in Chapter 64?
Baz believes he doesn’t deserve forgiveness because he intended to harm Simon (even though he failed). He also feels that his guilt is compounded by the fact that he harmed an innocent person (Philippa) instead. Accepting forgiveness would mean acknowledging that Simon has the right to give it, which Baz feels he hasn’t earned.
2. How does Penelope’s guilt differ from Simon’s and Baz’s?
Penelope’s guilt is self-inflicted and stems from her own perceived incompetence, not from a specific act of harming another. She blames herself for making “bad decisions” that endanger friends. Unlike Baz, she has not stolen anything; unlike Simon, she has not killed anyone. Her guilt is about failing to meet her own high standards.
3. What role does Lady Ruth’s candle spell play in the theme of forgiveness?
The candle spell represents hope and the act of waiting for reconciliation. Lady Ruth lights a candle for her son Jamie and hopes her daughter Lucy will return. This quiet, patient gesture contrasts with the frantic attempts at redemption made by other characters and suggests that forgiveness sometimes requires waiting without guarantees.
4. How does the novel address the question of whether some actions are unforgivable?
The novel shows that forgiveness is always a choice, not a duty. Pippa refuses to forgive Baz, and Baz must live with that. Smith-Richards never seeks forgiveness, and the narrative does not offer it. Simon and Baz choose to forgive each other, but the book does not claim that this erases the harm. Forgiveness is presented as a gift that can be withheld, and characters must learn to accept that.
5. What does Simon’s dragon wing symbol say about the aftermath of guilt?
The wings are a permanent, visible mark of what Simon lost—his magic, his normalcy, his innocence. They cannot be hidden or removed (he becomes immune to magic). This symbolizes that guilt and its consequences do not go away; they become part of who you are. The challenge is to live with them, as Simon eventually does, rather than trying to erase the past.